Today, the Yukon Advisory Committee on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit+ People (MMIWG2S+) released the Implementation Plan for Changing the Story to Upholding Dignity and Justice: Yukon’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit+ People Strategy. The Implementation Plan marks an important point in the Committee’s efforts to develop a whole-of-Yukon approach to ending the systemic issues that lead to violence against Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit+ people.
The Implementation Plan details objectives, milestones, timelines and proposes leads for 32 action items identified through the Strategy and subsequent priority action items document. The plan is the result of significant collaboration between the Committee’s members to develop a guiding document that can support the Strategy’s partners and signatories in realizing systemic change. The Committee also engaged with families and survivors of MMIWG2S+ to ensure the plan was centred on their voices and insights.
The Committee has shared the Implementation Plan directly with Yukon families and survivors of MMIWG2S+. It will meet this week with key partners and signatories, including Indigenous women’s organizations, Yukon government departments, First Nation governments, the RCMP and Government of Canada, to review the Implementation Plan and determine how the Committee can support all partners in actioning the plan’s milestones.
I am confident that the Implementation Plan is a monumental step on the path to end violence against missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit+ people. My co-chairs and I are eager to meet with the partners and signatories of the Strategy and to review the Plan together and offer our support in realizing its milestones. We encourage all Yukoners to familiarize themselves with the Implementation Plan and the collective commitments being undertaken by Yukon organizations, and to ask themselves how they – as individuals – can also support changing the story. Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit+ people deserve no less.
Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for the Women and Gender Equity Directorate and Yukon Advisory Committee Co-Chair Jeanie McLean
MMIWG2S+ is a national emergency, rooted in the continuing impacts of colonization and systemic issues such as racism. Achieving real change will take time and sustained effort. Our committee recognizes this reality and we are more determined than ever to work with the Strategy’s partners to support long-term change. We firmly believe this Implementation Plan will support our work together as it identifies and provides, in one overarching document, tangible milestones that support the Strategy’s four paths to changing the story: strengthening connections and supports; community safety and justice; economic independence and education; and community action and accountability.
Yukon Advisory Committee Co-Chair representing Yukon First Nations Doris Bill
Our committee firmly believes that our collaborative approach, centered on the voices of Indigenous women, as well as families and survivors of MMIWG2S+, will ensure our collective efforts to address the crisis of MMIWG2S+ will create impactful change. One of the most important parts of this work is inclusivity, and I am grateful for the bravery and contributions of families and survivors of MMIWG2S+ to this work.
Executive Director of the Liard Aboriginal Women’s Society and Yukon Advisory Committee Co-Chair Ann Maje Raider
The Yukon Advisory Committee on MMIWG2S+ was established in 2015. Its initial mandate was to guide and support the first Yukon Regional Roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit+ people and to connect the work of the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls to Yukon families, as well as Indigenous survivors, experts and communities.
Following the National Inquiry, the mandate of the Committee expanded, and it was tasked with developing and implementing a whole-of-Yukon strategy. In 2020, the Committee released Changing the Story to Upholding Dignity and Justice: Yukon’s MMIWG2S+ Strategy. In December 2022, the Committee released Priority Action Items for the Strategy.
The Committee has three co-chairs:
- Ann Maje Raider, Executive Director of the Liard Aboriginal Women’s Society and Co-Chair representing Indigenous women’s organizations;
- Doris Bill, representing Yukon First Nations governments; and
- Jeanie McLean, Minister responsible for the Women and Gender Equity Directorate and Co-Chair representing the Government of Yukon.
The Committee also benefits from the contributions of regular members representing families and survivors, Elders and each of the Yukon’s three Indigenous women’s organizations.
The Government of Yukon provides secretarial and communications support to the Committee.
The plan and strategy are living documents and expected to develop further based on ongoing feedback and as circumstances evolve.
Renée Francoeur
Cabinet Communications
867-334-9194
renee.francoeur@yukon.ca
Odile Nelson
Communications, Women and Gender Equity Directorate
867-334-8235
odile.nelson@yukon.ca