On this National Day of Commemoration for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) Elected Women Council, in honour of all missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, wishes to use this day as an opportunity to put the safety of Indigenous women and girls back on the agenda.
“Five years ago, our courageous women in Val-d’Or spoke out against intolerable situations. So where are we today? Are our women and girls safer in cities? Are they really safer in our First Nations communities whose police services are chronically under-funded, or have been forced to completely shut down? Who can our women and girls turn to when their safety is threatened? Ms. Guilbault is an elected young woman who is the Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Security. She can help us transform the calls to action and action plans into concrete actions,” said the Chief of Lac Simon, Ms. Adrienne Jérôme, spokesperson for the AFNQL’s Elected Women Council.
“There are more than eighty women who are elected by the members of our nations for our local governments as Chiefs or Councillors. All of these women live in our communities, know the important issue of public safety inside out, and work regularly with their male colleagues. Public safety is not just the responsibility of women, but their solidarity can go a long way towards making a difference.
We intend to invite the Deputy Premier and her colleague, the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, Ms. Isabelle Charest, to meet with the members of our council on the issues concerning the safety of First Nations women and girls. We will do so without ever forgetting those we have lost. This is our way of paying tribute to them,” added Councillor Nadia Robertson, who is also a spokesperson for the AFNQL’s Elected Women Council.
