Montrealers honour lives of four Indigenous women killed in Winnipeg

A rally to honour the lives of four Indigenous women believed to have been murdered earlier this year in Winnipeg was held Saturday afternoon in Montreal.

Protesters were at Cabot Square to remember Marcedes Myran, Morgan Harris, Rebecca Contois and an unidentified victim known as Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe – or Buffalo Woman.

The bodies of Myran and Harris are believed to be at a private landfill just outside Winnipeg. The Winnipeg Police Service previously indicated a search of the landfill would not be feasible.

There was traditional chanting and drumming at the rally in Montreal, which was organized by the Iskweu Project – an initiative by the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal.

#WATCH Montrealers gather at Cabot Square to honour the lives of four Indigenous women believed to have been murdered in Winnipeg.https://t.co/JMhyKtdfCF pic.twitter.com/9BgQyy5pP7

— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) December 17, 2022

Organizers are calling the Winnipeg police’s handling of the situation “shameful.”

“Winnipeg Police Service’s refusal to search the landfill is another way of them saying, ‘we aren’t interested in reconciliation,” said Tanisha Gallichon, a coordinator with Iskweu. “I have trouble with believing that if these women were white, the landfill search wouldn’t already be wrapping up.

“That’s why rallies like this are important. This is a MMIWG issue, it’s an Indigenous issue. If they won’t take action, communities will.”

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“We are outraged that the 231 calls to justice have not been implemented and our women are still going missed and are being murdered,” added Nakuset, the executive director of the Native Women’s Shelter. “When will this change?”