A series of engagement sessions on the development of the National Action Plan on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls will be hosted by the BC Assembly of First Nations.
Collaboration from gender and sexual minorities like 2-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual will also be included.
Regional Chief Terry Teegee spoke with Vista Radio.
“I think it’s really important to engage with a lot of the communities and family members garnering their support and also their push for implementing the National Action Plan, the 231 Calls to Justice (Action) because it’s been two years since the national inquiry completed its findings.”
“I think it’s really to communicate with families but also it is up to this government to release an action plan that can be utilized by a lot of the families and organizations and to implement the 231 Calls to Justice (Action).”
Teegee also wants to try and narrow how many of the 231 Calls to Action in the plan should be implemented right away and what others need more planning.
The sessions begin on Friday (14th) and will occur on a regular basis until June 1st.
Engagement sessions with family members and survivors:
- Friday, May 14, 2021 – 2pm-4pm
- Saturday, May 15, 2021 – 10am-12pm
- Sunday, May 16, 2021 – 10am-12pm
- Monday, May 17, 2021 – 5pm-7pm
- Tuesday, May 18, 2021 – 5pm-7pm
- Monday, May 24, 2021 – 10am-12pm
- Friday, May, 28, 2021 – 2pm-4pm
- Tuesday, June 1, 2021 – 12pm-2pm
Pre-engagement discussions are slated for Wednesday (12th) and Thursday (13th).
They will be hosted as an opportunity for the federal government and AFN to share what has taken place from June 2019 to May 2021 with the final report and 231 Calls to
Justice.
The support at each engagement session will include:
• One Elder to open and close the session in a cultural and good way
• Two MMWIG2S+ regional coordinators from FNHA/IRSSS
• Graphic facilitator to capture the conversation visually
• Notetaker to capture the discussion.
One of the engagement sessions will be specific to gender and sexual minorities.
Report Back Sessions:
• Friday, June 18, 2021 – time TBD
• Saturday, June 19, 2021 – time TBD
Chastity Davis-Alphonse and Racelle Kooy will co-author a “what we heard” report in early June.
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