About 50 friends, family and community members attended a walk for Happy Charles and missing and murdered Indigenous women in La Ronge Wednesday.
Happy Charles went missing on April 3, 2017 when she left her La Ronge home and headed to Prince Albert.
The group met at the Far Reserve Junction, where Elder Gordon Ratt started with an opening prayer in Cree, followed by drums and singing by Charles’ daughters and family.
In the bed of the leading pickup truck, Charles’ daughters continued playing the drums and singing.
Next, the rest of her family followed on foot. Then the rest of the crowd trailed, with a La Ronge RCMP vehicle at the tail end to keep the group safe.
Dozens of marchers held up red signs cut into the shape of dresses. Each sign had a message on it, such as, “Bring Happy Home,” “Happy is someone’s friend/mother/daughter,” “Always remember,” and “In my heart forever you’ll stay.”
The signs, created by Charles’ mother, Regina Poitras, Charles’ daughters and some friends, caught the attention of drivers and community members as they marched along Highway 2.
The group walked the five kilometres to the downtown urban reserve, where family members addressed the crowd.
“We all miss her a lot. We have been through a lot in the last couple years,” says Charles’ eldest daughter Aleisha. “She was the person we went to for advice, my sisters and I.”
Charles’ daughters Aleisha, Marcia, Maggie and Ariel, as well as her sister-in-law, Gina Clinton and some other guest family members are part of the drumming group called, New Dawn.
“She was there the first time we started singing, too. When we first started our drum group when I was 11 years old,” said 23-year-old Aleisha. “Every single gig we’d go to, she was always there to cheer us on and to brag about us to all of friends. We miss that about her.”
The family spoke highly of Prince Albert Police Chief, Jonathan Bergen and Deputy Chief, Jason Stonechild and their team, who have worked hard on the case. The pair marched with the crowd on the windy and overcast afternoon.
“We will continue to search,” says Chief Bergen. “We definitely share in the search and the hunt for the answers that I think are somewhere out there. Thank you for inviting us to walk along with you.”
Bergen added that he overheard a small child shout out, “I miss Happy!” at the starting point of the walk.
He says he continues to hear that sentiment from the youngest child to all of the elders.
“I feel a small piece of the pain everyone is in. I will take that back home for our police service,” said Bergen in conclusion.
Elder Fred Charles wrapped up the march with a prayer, where people bowed their heads.
“It was overwhelming, a lot of support and I am grateful for it,” says Poitras.
She also says that if anybody knows anything about the whereabouts of her daughter to contact the Happy Charles tip line.
“You don’t want to grieve because you know that there is still hope. You still want to hope. It’s not my right to grieve yet.”
Poitras concluded by encouraging women to stay safe and to keep in contact with family members, so other families do not have to live through this as well.
(PHOTO: People gathering for the walk for Happy Charles and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Photo by Katrina Cameron.)