CAP Commemorates Red Dress Day and Call on the Federal Government to Implement a Red Dress Alert

Today, on Red Dress Day, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) lifts up all Indigenous peoples and communities across Turtle Island as we remember and honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, and calls on the federal government to implement a red dress alert.

Systemic discrimination, racism, and violence against Indigenous people has resulted in violence against and loss of our women, girls, and 2S+ people. The ongoing epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2S+ people is a national tragedy that demands urgent action and attention.

We support the call by MP Leah Gazan and others to implement a public alert system to inform all Canadians when an Indigenous woman, girl, or 2S+ person goes missing. The Government of Canada has a duty to Indigenous peoples and must take a leadership role, financially and otherwise, in implementing an MMIWG2S+ “Red Dress” alert system.

We also call on the Federal Government to urgently address violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2S+ people and stop delaying important measures like the Red Dress Alert, because every moment is critical to saving lives.

On Red Dress Day, we remember and continue to draw strength from the resilience and courage of our loved ones who have been lost to violence. On Red Dress Day, we honor their lives and commit ourselves to the important work of ensuring that no more Indigenous women, girls, and 2S+ people are lost to violence.