Canadian Heritage is the lead on developing the culture component of the federal response to the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).
B. Background and Current Status
In 2019, the National Inquiry into MMIWG was concluded with the publication of its Final Report, including 231 Calls for Justice to address violence against Indigenous women and girls as well as Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex and Asexual Plus (2SLGBTQQIA+) people. In response, the Government of Canada has committed to co-develop a National Action Plan with Indigenous organizations and provincial and territorial governments.
To develop the National Action Plan, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) has established a MMIWG governance structure with Indigenous partners, families and survivors, and provinces and territories. It includes the Core Working Group, co-chaired by Gina Wilson, Deputy Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth; the National Family and Survivors Circle; and the following sub-working groups: Federal, Provincial/Territorial, First Nations, Inuit, Métis, Urban, 2SLGBTQQIA+, and Data.
The Federal Pathway is a strategy that represents the federal government’s contribution to the National Action Plan. CIRNAC has led an interdepartmental process in consultation with its MMIWG governance structure to develop the Federal Pathway. At the time of drafting, we anticipate that it will be launched in April 2021. The Pathway contains four themes: culture; health and wellness; human safety and security; and justice.
Canadian Heritage is the lead on the culture theme. Through an analysis of the Calls for Justice of the Final Report and engagement in fall and winter 2020-21 with Indigenous partners including families and survivors, primarily through CIRNAC’s MMIWG governance structure, three culture-related priorities for federal action have been identified:
Supporting the retention, revitalization, maintenance and strengthening of Indigenous languages, cultures and spaces;
Strengthening opportunities for Indigenous cultural expression, participation, promotion and representation in the arts, cultural industries and media; and
Addressing systemic anti-Indigenous racism in the public and policy spheres.
In engagements on the culture theme, the MMIWG working groups have stressed that culture is foundational and all-encompassing for Indigenous peoples and has a much wider, more holistic scope than the way it is often approached in the federal government. They underlined that culture is necessary for healing and empowerment and that it is at the heart of one’s identity and self-worth. Therefore, without a strong foundation of culture, investments in health, wellness, and security will not succeed. By the same token, the MMIWG working groups have stressed that cultural safety should permeate all areas of the Federal Pathway.
There is significant work already under way that responds to the culture-related Calls for Justice, both within Canadian Heritage and Portfolio organizations as well as across other government departments. This includes:
Support for Indigenous languages, Indigenous-led heritage and digitization initiatives, Indigenous sport, and broadband access in Indigenous communities;
Initiatives to put Indigenous creators at the heart of telling their own stories, both on screen and on stage as well as through art, music and dance; and
Efforts to combat racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia through support for community initiatives, cultural safety and bias training, Indigenous employment initiatives, as well as designing and delivering culturally appropriate programs and services.
A number of Budget 2021 proposals are also under consideration related to initiatives that would advance the culture theme and other components of the Federal Pathway.
Following the release of the Federal Pathway, the Core Working Group will continue its concurrent work on the development of a National Action Plan, with the objective of releasing it in time for the second anniversary of the Final Report in in June 2021. An implementation plan and data strategy, led by CIRNAC, will also be developed for the Federal Pathway to ensure that the Government meets its objectives and reports regularly on its results.
C. Strategic Considerations
The initiatives under way and identified to date only represent a first step towards addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. Full implementation of the culture theme of the Federal Pathway will require ongoing, sustained collaboration with Indigenous partners on specific linked initiatives, as well as on the development of the broader implementation plan and data strategy. There will be expectations that the Government enact systemic, transformational change, which could encompass changes to existing policies and programs, initiating new policies and programs, engaging with Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in priority-setting and program development, and embedding culture and cultural safety into all initiatives to advance the Federal Pathway, not only those under the culture theme.
While the Federal Pathway identifies high-level priorities, engagement and the ongoing work of sub-working groups within CIRNAC’s governance structure have also helped to identify the Calls for Justice that are of greatest importance to Indigenous partners. On the culture theme, these include the National Family and Survivors Circle’s calls for support for land-based activities, funding for conducting cultural processes and protocols when a loved one passes, and the creation of a permanent empowerment fund for Indigenous-led initiatives to access cultural knowledge and revitalize distinct cultural practices.
In addition to the Calls for Justice of the Final Report, Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak have issued a report with 69 Calls for Miskotahâ (change), of which nine are relevant to the culture theme. The report stems from a concern that the experiences of Métis women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, who have faced a unique form of marginalization and discrimination, were underrepresented in the National Inquiry. The report presents a clear expectation that Métis-specific work be undertaken.
2SLGBTQQIA+ people also experience unique forms of violence due to intersections of racism, transphobia, homophobia and biphobia. The 2SLGBTQQIA+ Sub-Working Group has expressed disappointment in the insufficient focus on 2SLGBTQQIA+ issues by the National Inquiry and feels that federal departments have not sufficiently considered 2SLGBTQQIA+ issues in their response to date. The Sub-Working Group is therefore preparing a report that will identify recommendations for 2SLGBTQQIA+-specific actions for the MMIWG National Action Plan. The Sub-Working Group’s report will also complement community engagement activities and research currently under way to help inform the federal LGBTQ2 Action Plan that is being developed by the LGBTQ2 Secretariat at Canadian Heritage.
Although the specifics of next steps on collaboration with Indigenous partners and interdepartmental partners through CIRNAC’s governance structure are not yet clear, we anticipate that continued interdepartmental leadership will be required of Canadian Heritage in the advancement and implementation of the culture theme. To this end, we are considering how best to facilitate continued outreach and collaboration opportunities with Indigenous partners, Canadian Heritage programs, Portfolio organizations and other government departments in order to identify and advance opportunities to respond to culture-related Calls for Justice and contribute to the implementation plan.
Should the interdepartmental engagement required go beyond the scope of our existing activities, we would return to you with an update and proposed approach. New or enhanced initiatives that are developed through collaboration and co-development with internal and external partners and that do not have a source of funds could inform future funding proposals.
