There were 1,170 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 412,570 in the last 365 days.

National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

CANADA, May 5 - May 5 is National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). It is a day to bring awareness and to recognize and honour the lost lives of Indigenous women and girls.  

“Today we reflect on and honour the lives of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ that have tragically been cut short by gender-based violence. It is important that all Islanders recognize the disproportionate rates of violence committed against Indigenous women and girls. This day is about bringing awareness to MMIWG and reaffirming our commitment to addressing the Calls for Justice as we work tirelessly to end to gender-based violence in Prince Edward Island.” 

- Premier Dennis King

The Government of Prince Edward Island’s annual status report, The Calls for Justice: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was tabled today in the Legislative Assembly. In the 2022 report, the four main priorities are education/training, health, housing and support for MMIWG work in communities. 

In 2020, the Government of Prince Edward Island created the MMIWG Indigenous Working Group that is composed of government officials and representatives from Abegweit First Nation, Aboriginal Women’s Association of PEI, Lennox Island First Nation, Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI and Native Council of PEI. For this year, the group recommended the report be more reflective of Indigenous culture and tradition with a new format more accessible and visually appealing with numerous images and illustrations. 

Highlights of this year’s MMIWG report include: 

  • Development of a new curriculum component for Grade 7 students focusing on Indigenous content, knowledge and ways of knowing;  
  • Funding of $500,000 for Indigenous housing projects; 
  • Creation of an Indigenous Health Navigator within Health PEI; 
  • Creation of programs such as Indigenous Authentic PEI Experiential Tourism, providing financial support to the Lennox Island First Nation Development Corporation to create homegrown tourism experiences for visitors to experience rich Mi’kmaq culture in PEI; 
  • Infrastructure support to the Abegweit Fish Hatchery; 
  • Funding of $51,755 to the Native Council of PEI for a Men and Boys Coordinator to help address gender-based violence within the Indigenous community; 
  • Implementation of a $250,000 MMIWG Fund to support First Nations and Indigenous organizations pursue projects that advance the Calls for Justice across the Province.

The Government of Prince Edward Island recognizes the importance of education and awareness in ending violence against Indigenous women and girls. The province will continue to advance initiatives and programs that support the implementation of the MMIWG Calls for Justice, while ensuring that ongoing education and awareness complements this important work.

Media Contact: Nicole Yeba Executive Council Office  Bilingual Senior Communications Officer ntyeba@gov.pe.ca