Dear FMWC Members,

It has been a heavy week with the discovery of the 215 children buried at T’kemlups te Secwepemc Nation residential school. There is great urgency in “Calls to Action” for the full integration of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

On behalf of the Women Peace and Security committee members, WPS Chair Dr. Nahid Azad shares:

"The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is an international human rights instrument that affirms the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of Indigenous peoples throughout the world.

We support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and acknowledge the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action reports.  We call upon the federal government to do more than promise action and funding – Reconciliation must be a prominent value and a targeted goal not only for Canada’s government but also for Canadian citizens if meaningful progress towards the completion of the Calls to Action is to be made.

The discovery of a mass grave with the remains of 215 Indigenous children further creates an urgency for all Canadians to acknowledge the horrific past, apologise and grieve with our First Nations sisters and brothers.  Indigenous people deserve better lives, better healthcare free of racism - equal to other Canadians."

My 10year old has been in her “Every Child Matters” shirt most days this week of her own choice and I raise my hands to the Indigenous Leaders who have shared ceremony with me. There is hope for a new generation. We respect “nothing about us without us” and stand in solidarity, inviting our membership to go orange on social media.

Charissa Patricelli

President