Vigil being held in Montreal in honour of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

Montrealers came together on Friday night to march for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, 2-Spirit, Trans, and Gender Diverse people (MMIWG2S+).

The march was led by the Iskweu Project, a Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal initiative that responds to the needs of families when an Indigenous woman, girl, trans, or 2-Spirit person goes missing, and supported by Concordia University’s Centre for Gender Advocacy.

This event is part of the nationwide Sisters in Spirit Vigil Day, held annually on Oct. 4 to commemorate and demand justice for all MMIWG2S+ individuals and their loved ones.

Vigils are held across Canada, and locally, special attention has been given to the MMIWG2S+ social justice issues facing local community.

“We want to highlight is this really frightening trend that’s been going on since 2011 where five Inuit women have all been found dead by hanging on balconies around Montreal and the real lack of police response to this just demanding justice and a proper investigation for that”, added Laura Aguiar, Iskweu Project coordinator.

“My grandma was murdered in 2005 and it’s the reason why I started working for the Iskweu Project and the reason why I started the database to really find all the victims of MMIW. I think it’s not really known in Quebec that this issue is as big as it is,” said Janis Qavavauq-Bibeau, research coordinator.

The murder of Alasie Tukkiapik in 2023 has been highlighted, with Iskweu continuing to demand justice for her.

“It is the one-year anniversary of the murder of Alessia Takhiapic and this has been a really, it’s been a really tragic event. It’s been very sad just seeing all the systemic failings as well that led to Alessia’s death but also for what her family has had to go through in the context of the legal system,” said Aguiar.

The body of 41-year-old Tukkiapik of Nunavik was found in the home of Nicodemo and his brother Francesco Sansalone in September 2023, police say. She had been missing for several months.

“Alasie’s situation exemplifies society’s failure to protect Indigenous women and gender-diverse people, as well as the colonial legal system’s inability to hold perpetrators accountable and deliver true justice for survivors and families of MMIWG2S+. Furthermore, with the recent increase in cases of runaway missing Indigenous youth, there is an urgent need for improved protection and services for Indigenous youth —a critical step in preventing MMIWG2S+ cases,” reads a press release.

Iskweu and the Centre for Gender Advocacy are calling on the SPVM to form a task force to explore potential connections between these cases and investigate other cold cases of MMIWG2S+.

The Friday event begins at Cabot Square with opening words from elders and stories shared by MMIWG2S+ loved ones. A march will then follow along Ste-Catherine, ending at Place du Canada.

“This vigil is an opportunity for the community to come together to honour the lives of those lost to the MMIWG2S+, and to support MMIWG2S+ loved ones, demand accountability, and push for justice that will provide better protection and support for all Indigenous women, girls, youth, trans, and 2-Spirit people,” the press release says.