Canada has been faced with the issue of poverty and human rights within the Indigenous community for over 100 years. Although the idea of assimilation was more prominent within the twentieth century, conflicts still arise even to this day. It may not appear obvious to some, but the Indigenous communities in Canada continue to suffer. Each Indigenous person is affected differently, but ultimately, Indigenous women tend to endure the most hardship within Canada. There has been an upsetting crisis in Canada now for over 50 years. Countless Indigenous women and girls are going missing or are found murdered. The lack of motivation from the RCMP and Canadian government only fuel the epidemic further. Poverty, racism, sexism, and marginalization, are just a few of the factors that contribute to the harsh and saddening reality that Canadian Indigenous females are being hunted.
Anita Olsen Harper states in her article, “It is not hard to make the connection between being socially, economically and politically marginalized to being targets of hatred and violence. This is exactly the plight of Aboriginal people in Canada, particularly Aboriginal women” (Harper, 2006, p. 37). Coming from a race of people who have been abused by the white man for hundreds of years, it is expected that the Indigenous community is hesitant toward trusting the Canadian governments word to step up and take action toward the problem. The Canadian government lost the trust of the Indigenous people with the implementation of things such as residential schools and the sixties scoop. And yet after broadcasted apologies and promises, the government continues to turn a cold shoulder and treat Indigenous people with utter disrespect. Families of victims feel that they have nowhere else to turn to other than the Canadian Police Service for help regarding their missing loved one. As a Canadian citizen, you would assume that when you’re in trouble the police will do everything in their power to resolve the matter. This is sadly untrue for the Indigenous peoples of Canada. FNMI people are racially profiled and marginalized by many different culprits, including the police. When Indigenous females are reported missing to Canadian police, no dramatic measure is taken. At times, files are significantly delayed in being put into the system or ignored and left out entirely. A portion of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) were noted to be sex workers. On top of being racially profiled, the missing women are now being profiled based on the work they do. An Indigenous sex worker reported missing is of slim interest towards the Canadian Police. The lack of concern coming from the Canadian Government and Police service has a significant impact on the epidemic that Indigenous communities are faced with.
Hundreds of women and girls remain missing in Canada to this day. Even when missing turns to murdered, there is no sincere concern for the victim. On June 21st, 2011 “a Cree woman, Cindy Gladue, bled to death from wounds inflicted by Bradley Barton, a white man who paid Gladue for sex” (Razack, 2016, p. 2). Gladue was only 36-years old when she was murdered, and was also a mother of three. The cause of death was determined to be an 11cm slash on the inside of Gladue’s vaginal wall. Barton testified in court that Gladue had consented to ‘rough sexual intercourse’, and in turn resulted in the trauma to her genitalia. In court, a medical examiner concluded that the wound could only have been caused by a sharp object. The evidence was stacked against Barton, but ultimately, he was acquitted of the charges. An example like Cindy Gladue’s case proves how Indigenous women continue to be marginalized in society. The fact that Gladue was a ‘sex worker’ also played a significant role in her stereotyping. From the get go the assumption was made that since Cindy was a ‘sex worker’, she must have consented to all of the sexual advances made by Barton. Victim blaming involving cases with sex workers is a serious concern within the court system and society. Victims are not shown a great deal of compassion, simply because of their line of work.
A chilling and prominent example of the crisis and its relation toward children is the murder of fifteen-year old Tina Fontaine. In 2014, Fontaine’s body was discovered floating along Winnipeg’s Red River. Tina was a slim 72 pounds at the time and was found wrapped in a duvet cover weighed down by rocks. Fontaine was a child in foster care and was noted to be so by police. Shortly before her death, Fontaine was discovered by police with a fifty-three-year old man under the influence of alcohol. With complete knowledge of Fontaine’s age and placement within the foster care system, they released her. She was later found unconscious and taken to hospital, where she was ultimately released back to Child and Family services. Tina Fontaine’s death must not have been a shock to police and child/family services; since they had watched her life unravel for months prior to her passing and elected to take no preventative action. The Indigenous community was shook and overcome with disappointment toward the child care system; Canadian Government, and the police, for failing Tina Fontaine. Raymond Cormier was arrested and charged with the death of Tina. Megan Scribe describes the emotional reaction to the verdict in Fontaine’s case, “The recent court decision acquitting Raymond Cormier of the murder of fifteen-year-old Tina Fontaine has been met with the anguished outcries of Indigenous peoples who have derided this verdict as a sterling example of ongoing settler colonial violence” (Scribe, 2017, p. 1). Tina’s case is a prime example of how Canadian Indigenous people are mistreated by multiple different organizations. Systemic racism toward Indigenous Canadians plays a significant role in the MMIWG epidemic. If Tina had been treated with care and respect there is the possibility that she would still be alive today.
Within Katherine Morton’s article, she discusses Razacks work by stating “over a quarter of the missing and murdered Indigenous women disappeared in British Columbia (2015:54).” (as cited in Morton, 2016, p. 302). A key factor in the elevated numbers of British Columbia’s missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is Highway 16. Known as “The Highway of Tears”, it runs a 724km stretch between Prince Rupert and Prince George. The surrounding area along the highway is populated by 23 different First Nations including the Kitsumkalum and the Stellat’en First Nation. Lack of proper public transportation and a high rate of poverty are driving Indigenous women to make the risky decision to hitchhike. The highway itself is unserviced and is secluded within thick forest where there are hardly any towns close by. Since the highway is mostly isolated from society, cell phone reception is scarce. This makes calling for help nearly impossible for victims. Another issue arises from this highway, it is surrounded by over one thousand kilometers of unmarked forest. Highway 16 is a hot spot for predators because they are sheltered within the forest and have unlimited land to dispose of any evidence. E-PANA was created by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 2005. The project is dedicated to missing and murdered women along the Highway 16 area. Activists are glad to see that some effort is being taken, but are still upset that the disappearances began around 1969 and E-PANA was not formed until 2005. Those within the Indigenous community were upset to see the most media coverage about the highway of tears was focused on a white female victim “Nicole Hoar” who went missing along highway 16. Some feel that even though E-PANA was created, there is still prominent sexism and racism stemming from the RCMP. The measures taken into solving female Indigenous cases are significantly less pronounced than that of a case involving a Caucasian female.
Canada is faced with a serious problem that needs to be addressed with full attention and intent to make a change. The mistreatment of Indigenous women and girls has continued on for far too long. Women and children are being brutalized by predators all across the country. All people deserve authentic respect regardless of their gender or race. Within John Geddes’ article, he discusses Opal’s statement, “It’s all about poverty, homelessness, lack of education, alcoholism, and drug addiction, violence against women” (as cited in Geddes, 2016, p. 14). If the RCMP steps up and does their part in solving the cases, then what is left is the Governments action in putting an end to this tragic issue. The Canadian government must tackle the root issues that are playing a role in the MMIWG crisis. Proper look and care into these issues could make a substantial impact on the numbers of Indigenous women and girls that go missing, or are murdered. The bond between Canadian authority and Indigenous people will only continue to fail if the treatment and compassion towards FNMI continues as is. Something has to be done, Canada can not afford to lose any more of our Indigenous sisters.