Sadness at reserve vigil
United in grief and motivated by buy canada goose jacket cheap outrage, people seeking a federal inquiry into canada goose outlet uk sale violence against First Nations women joined a Canada Goose canada goose outlet Parka series of national vigils here Saturday.
More than 130 people gathered at the Karonhyak Sports Complex on York Road for the three hour vigil.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police have since identified 1,017 First Nations women who canada goose outlet store uk were murdered between 1980 and 2012 and 164 canada goose canadian goose jacket outlet store reported missing since 1952. Vigil organizers said those numbers canada goose outlet new york city continue to grow.
Yet Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his government have repeated refused to commission a federal inquiry into those cases.
”I think we should not view this as sociological phenomenon. We should view it as crime, Harper said earlier this year. ”We brought in laws across this country that I think are having more canada goose effect in terms of crimes of violence against not just aboriginal women but women and persons more cheap canada goose uk generally and we remain committed canada goose outlet black friday to that course of action.”
But those gathered here and at 132 other vigils held nationally Saturday say Harper is only adding insult to injury.
That includes Linda Lafort, who works at Tyendinaga Red Cedars Shelter. Her stepdaughter, Melissa Maureen Nicholson, 17, was found dead in 1991 in British Columbia canada goose outlet online uk and Lafort said she believes her murder has never been solved.
we canada goose factory outlet got the call it was devastating, Lafort said.
She was separated from Melissa father, Ken Nicholson, at the time. He died several years ago; Melissa mother, Genevieve canada goose uk shop Lambert, died three years ago.
Lafort canada goose uk black friday recalled Ken quest for justice and the bags of research he compiled.
died without that resolved. said her stepdaughter and other victims were robbed of their futures and their families robbed of future generations.
just so far reaching, Lafort said, yet to the government, doesn seem to be important.
they write you off as a throwaway person it seems to make it less meaningful.
feel like I have to keep taking about it so people will realize it impacting everywhere, said Lafort.
done goose outlet canada inquiries prior to our request for this one. It makes you wonder why they not wanting to investigate this further, said Betty Carr Braint, elder in residence of Four Directions Aboriginal Student Centre at Queen University.
is not just an aboriginal issue. It canada goose outlet in usa everyone issue, she said.
outraged, added her daughter, Jolie Brant of Interval House, a cheap canada goose Kingston agency providing shelter and advocacy for women and children who experienced canada goose clearance violence.
women only take up 4.3 per cent of the Canadian population and there 1,181 missing and murdered, Brant said. need to protect our women. vigil occurred at the same time as protesters from Tyendinaga and elsewhere blocked the Skyway Bridge between the reserve and Prince Edward County. Those at the vigil said the two events shared a cause but not coordination.
didn know https://www.dvu-nds.de anything about the other event, Carr Braint said. really believe it important to bring awareness. Everybody canada goose outlet uk has their own way to do that. We just honour whatever way people want to have information to get out there about this travesty. official canada goose outlet here today to honour those women as well as their families as well as educate and gain allies, Brant said, calling on all Canadians to up with us. We need to be united. said she hopes more Canadians will listen and join the calls for an inquiry. Unsolved cases mean violent offenders may still be at large, she said.