November 29, 2021 (OTTAWA)—The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples released the following statement today: “For too long, Indigenous women and girls have faced violence, racism, and discrimination, and are targeted, assaulted, and killed at much higher rates than any other demographic. It has now been 30 years since the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry was commissioned to investigate the systemic racism in Manitoba’s justice system, after years of ignorance from the police and the court systems. This inquiry was meant to help improve the relationship between the justice system and Indigenous communities. There were almost 300 recommendations given on how to better protect Indigenous women and girls, how to better co-ordinate between police and Indigenous communities, and how to better the relationship between police officers, justice officials and Indigenous People. For the last 30 years, this report has been ignored and the recommendations have not been implemented. We call on all governments to immediately take action on these recommendations that have been long ignored, and to implement the recommendations from the National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, to better protect our women and girls.”
