NDP pledges aggressive strategy to keep Indigenous women, girls, two-spirited people in Manitoba safe, free from violence


Local Journalism Initiative
Fri, August 11, 2023 

The Manitoba NDP promised on Friday that if elected to govern, the party would take immediate steps and create an aggressive strategy aimed at keeping Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people in Manitoba safe and free from violence.

“We must focus on the safety and welfare of Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited peoples in Manitoba,” NDP MLA and spokesperson for MMWIG2S Nahanni Fontaine said during a Friday morning media conference at The Forks, while flanked by family members of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and by dozens of photos of missing women and girls.

“The province bears a responsibility in eradicating violence and offering assistance to families. Heather Stefanson's administration has fallen short in this regard.”

Fontaine said that if elected in the upcoming election slated for Oct. 3, the NDP would take several immediate steps including the implementation of 24/7 drop-in centres for women and girls in communities including Winnipeg, Brandon and Thompson.

Fontaine said the NDP would also take steps to work with the Manitoba Police Commission and local law enforcement to enact regulations under The Police Services Act to strengthen how MMWIG2S investigations are conducted, and would work to assist families navigating the justice system through the creation of a specific Indigenous Victim Services Unit within the Department of Justice.

“Furthermore, a Manitoba NDP administration will aim to empower law enforcement agencies in capturing violent perpetrators by ensuring police standards are in place when MMIWG2S cases are investigated,” Fontaine said.

The NDP say they would also enhance the mandate of the Gender Based Violence Committee of Cabinet and rename it the MMIWG2S and Gender Based Violence Committee of Cabinet “to prioritize MMIWG2S and the implementation of the National Inquiry’s 231 Calls to Justice.”

The party would also undertake a comprehensive assessment of the Compensation for Victims of Crime program “to modernize it and align it with the needs of MMIWG2S families,” would work to initiate a provincial database of MMIWG2S, and would reinstate the role of the Special Advisor on Indigenous Women’s Issues, who would work directly with MMIWG2S families and report directly to the responsible minister.

“We require a fresh approach to deliver justice for Indigenous women and individuals within this province, and the NDP has developed a comprehensive strategy to help transform this vision into reality,” Fontaine said.

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

Dave Baxter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun