On May 5th, 2026, Member of Parliament Leah Gazan issued the following statement:
Today, on Red Dress Day, we honour Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit, and gender diverse individuals who have been lost to violence.
On this day let us recommit ourselves to working in solidarity with each other to reaffirm our commitment to implementing the 231 Calls for Justice. Let us call on all levels of government to uphold the human rights of Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit, and gender diverse folks to live in safety, security, and dignity.
This is critical work to honour the 2,380 family members, survivors, experts, and Knowledge Keepers, who shared their stories that informed the Calls for Justice: the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which revealed the genocidal impacts of MMIWG2S+ upon Indigenous communities. Based on these findings, the former Prime Minister affirmed that MMIWG2S+ amounts to an ongoing genocide.
In 2023, the House of Commons unanimously agreed that MMIWG2S+ was a Canada-wide emergency, calling for the immediate creation of a Red Dress Alert System. Recognizing the severity of this crisis is the direct result of the heart work of countless survivors, family members, matriarchs and advocates who have worked tirelessly to bring long-deserved attention to this crisis.
Unfortunately, nearly seven years after the publication of the Final Report on the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, almost half of the Calls for Justice are either stalled or have not been started. A 2024 Progress Report by the Assembly of First Nations found that only two of the 231 Calls for Justice had been completed.
Meanwhile, the government is cutting support for women’s shelters and Indigenous women’s organizations, diverting investment toward resource extraction projects, and neglecting calls for community safety plans to protect Indigenous women.
Recently I joined matriarchs and family members of those lost to MMIWG2S+, calling on the government to reverse its cuts to essential programs upholding the safety of Indigenous women, girls and gender diverse people. Their message to the Prime Minister was clear: our lives are not a pilot project. We need long-term, sustainable investment in community safety infrastructure that is culturally appropriate and Indigenous led.
After so many years of neglect, it has never been more urgent to end the genocide of MMIWG2S+. On this Red Dress Day, I reiterate the calls on the government by survivors, family members, matriarchs, community members and experts to implement all 231 Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry, and finally put an end to this genocide.
I write to you today to share my grave concerns about Canada Post’s plan to convert the remaining addresses that still receive door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes. This change jeopardizes access to the critical public infrastructure provided by Canada Post and poses specific harm for seniors, people with disabilities, people living in rural areas, as well as Canada Post employees.
We can never let ourselves become complicit in senseless violence and violations of human rights and international law. The behavior by President Trump and Netanyahu are particularly concerning, and they must be held to account.
"Today is International Women’s Day - a time to celebrate all the remarkable advancements made by women and gender-diverse people across the world. Today, we recommit to the ongoing fight for gender equality and human rights for all women and gender-diverse people in Canada and across the globe."