Indigenous Albertans walk for justice in honour of their missing and murdered relatives
Members of Indigenous communities across Alberta are walking together this weekend to raise awareness and continue the fight for the justice of their missing and murdered relatives.
The ‘North Meets South’ walk kicked off Saturday morning when a group of Treaty 6 and Treaty 8 members began their journey walking from Red Deer southbound on the QE2 highway.
Further south, another group of Treaty 7 members also set off from the Piikani Nation and began walking north with plans for everyone to meet up in Calgary on Oct. 4 for the Sisters in Spirit event.
Jamie Medicine Crane was amongst the walkers travelling from Red Deer Saturday morning.
She has lost nine of her Indigenous family members, the majority of which were murdered or reported missing within the last decade.
“It's really close to my heart and I feel like I need to do something for them,” she said.
“We must look at the bigger picture of why this is happening. It's the colonialism and what has perpetuated over the years and I think the biggest thing now is changing this for the future so our future generations don't have to go through.
Medicine Crane held a red dress up high over her head on Saturday’s walk. She was inspired by how many people honked their horns in support along the highway and says more and more people are supporting the cause year after year.
“Our Lives Matter and I think we need to bring that awareness, but also help send those prayers and good energy out to everybody so that people could start, I guess in their own way, to end the violence.”
Fellow walker, Mary Jo-Badger agrees that these types of events hope to one day give the Indigenous community a sense of closure, but also act as a reminder that their fight is still ongoing.
“We're not a forgotten people, we're loved and any support coming from the community and from the general public is welcome,” Badger said.
“Unfortunately, I have my own story and lost my cousin Bela who was murdered in Toronto. This is something a lot of Indigenous people share and experience and we don’t want to experience this alone, so we must always support our sisters.”
Valerie Alexander from the Enoch Cree Nation also lost a family member -- Georgina Faith Papin – whose remains were found on Robert Pickton’s Port Coquitlam farm in July 2002.
Pickton was eventually convicted of six counts of second-degree murder, including the murder of Papin, who was 34 years old at the time of her disappearance and a mother to seven children.
“We need our voices heard,” Alexander said.
“We have to have some kind of closure to all of these deaths, to the people that are going missing and murdered and nobody doing anything about it.”
According to a report from the Native Women’s Association of Canada, there are over 2,000 Indigenous women missing and murdered across Canada.
The report adds that Indigenous women are also three and a half times more likely to experience violence in their lives than non-Indigenous women.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
BREAKING London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.