(Winnipeg) The arrest of a Winnipeg man accused of killing four women, all believed to be Indigenous, shows that vulnerable women and girls face dangerous consequences unless governments work together to end to gender-based and racial violence, say indigenous activists.
Several Indigenous groups are urging governments and other institutions of power to respond to the 231 “calls for justice” contained in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, released in 2019.
“The political will of all levels of government is necessary to put an end to this ongoing genocide,” the National Circle of Families and Survivors said in a statement on Friday.
The organization argues that Indigenous women are disproportionately victims of violence in Canada due to “unchecked racism and misogyny”.
Winnipeg police charged Jeremy Skibicki, 35, with first degree murder on Thursday in connection with the deaths of Morgan Harris, 39, Marcedes Myran, 26, and another unidentified woman. Their bodies have not been found.
PHOTO JOHN WOODS, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Jeremy Skibicki has been charged with four counts of first degree murder in connection with the deaths of Rebecca Contois, 24, Morgan Harris, 39, Marcedes Myran, 26, and an unidentified fourth woman.
Skibick had previously been arrested and charged on May 18 with the first-degree murder of 24-year-old Rebecca Contois, whose remains were found in a trash can near an apartment building. Police later found more remains in a Winnipeg dump.
All three identified victims are Indigenous and police believe the fourth is as well.
Skibicki appeared briefly Friday in Winnipeg with a shaved head and a long beard. He did not enter a plea, but his lawyer indicated that he claimed his innocence, but that a trial was not for tomorrow. “We just received 10 terabytes (of evidence) today and it’s probably not over,” Leonard Tailleur told reporters.
The Crown proceeds by direct indictment, which means there will be no preliminary inquiry. The accused has been detained since his arrest and will remain so for the rest of the proceedings.
A genocide already denounced
The Native Women’s Association of Canada said in a statement Friday that the deaths of these women “is horrifying evidence that serious action must be taken to end these crimes.”
“Let’s be clear, these crimes are part of the genocide declared in 2019 by the National Inquiry,” says the association. They explain why the government can’t just investigate and say, “Task done.” The investigation was only the first step. Now is the time to take serious action. »
In its final report, the National Inquiry had effectively described as “genocide” all these murders and all these disappearances of Aboriginal women in Canada.
Then, last year, on the second anniversary of the release of the Inquiry’s final report, the federal government released its national action plan, which some have criticized for its lack of funding, timelines or measurable goals.
The Native Women’s Association released its own report card earlier this year on the government’s progress in this area: it concluded that little progress had been made.
Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs echoed calls for the federal and provincial governments to work with police to implement National Inquiry recommendations to address the root causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls.
“We must work together to honor the 231 calls for justice and act immediately,” she said in a statement.
The most vulnerable
Cora Morgan, family advocate with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said Friday that Indigenous women are still being left behind. “We continue to witness the vulnerability of our homeless women,” said Ms.me Morgan in a statement.
“They feel like their voice doesn’t matter or their life doesn’t matter. Our women deserve better. »
The federal Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations says that Ottawa is failing to protect Indigenous women and girls as it should, despite the funds allocated.
PHOTO DAVID KAWAI, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Marc Miller said Friday he was shocked and “a little ashamed” to learn that Winnipeg police had charged a man with the alleged murder of four women last spring.
Marc Miller said Friday he was shocked and “a little ashamed” to learn that Winnipeg police had charged a man with the alleged murder of four women last spring.
“This is the legacy of a devastating story that still reverberates today,” he said. No one can stand in front of you to say with certainty that it won’t happen again, and I think that’s a bit of a shame. »
Mme Contois lived in Winnipeg, but was a member of the Ojibwa community of O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi, Manitoba, also known as “Crane River”. Mmy Harris and Myran, who also lived in Winnipeg, were both members of the Ojibwa-Dakota community of Long Plain, Manitoba.
Police said the three women were killed last May, while the fourth was believed to have been killed around March 15.
Winnipeg has often been called the epicenter of the crisis of violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada.
Minister Miller pledged that the federal government will continue to work to address some of the systemic issues that put Indigenous women in vulnerable situations, including reforming the child welfare system and opening more shelters.
“The federal government has a responsibility […] Despite the investments we have made — and they are significant — we are still lagging behind in the face of such a tragedy. »