Annual Valentine's Day Memorial March takes to downtown Calgary

The sounds of drums echoed across downtown Calgary on Tuesday night as about 600 people took part in the 15th annual Valentine's Day Memorial March.

Marchers walked from Scarboro United Church in memory of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit Peoples.

"It's important to have events like this because it shows that the community is coming together and we care," said Chantal Chagnon, an event organizer.

"We want answers for those families who've been striving for answers for so long.

"Sometimes, those families feel overwhelmed and alone and I think it's so important that we share their stories – that we come together and we get it out of this realm of statistics."

Victims' families joined members of the community, Mayor Jyoti Gondek and other members of city council.

The march is part of a nation-wide movement to remember all who have gone missing or have been murdered.

It's also meant to draw attention to the disproportionate numbers of Indigenous women who are no longer with us.

Marchers carried cut-outs and frames with the names of the missing and murdered.

Before the march, participants gathered to hear speeches.

Organizers say Indigenous women are five times more likely to die as a result of violence than any other group of women in Canada.