Toronto – September 27, 2024 – October 4 marks a significant day of remembrance and action in Canada: the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). This day serves as a solemn reminder of the ongoing violence and systemic injustices faced by Indigenous women and girls across the country.

Every year, Sisters in Spirit Vigils are held on October 4 in various locations across Canada.  They present an opportunity for community members to come together to remember and honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG). Through Indigenous teachings, ceremonies, candlelit vigils, and connections made with the land on which the ceremonies are held, participants renew their commitment to demand real action on violence against Indigenous women and girls.

According to Statistics Canada, between 2001 and 2015, “homicide rates for Indigenous women were nearly six times higher than for non-Indigenous women.”

Indigenous women, girls, transgender, gender-diverse, and Two-Spirit people continue to go missing and are murdered at an alarming and disproportionate rate.

The MMIWG2S+ genocide was the subject of a three-year National Inquiry, resulting in a Final Report and 231 Calls for Justice that outline the immediate and sustained action required to redress the overwhelming amount of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

Since the National Inquiry closed in 2019, the Government of Canada has been tasked with creating a National Action Plan to address the genocide, an issue that ninety percent of Canadians feel is important. However, to date there has been very little government progress made on the National Action Plan, with Canadians rating the government’s response to the MMIWG2S+ genocide as poor.

Visit nwac.ca for more information about this year’s Sisters in Spirit Vigil.