Aboriginal March Supported by MFL

On September 21, a Sacred Fire ceremony and Walk organized by Kookum Gaa Na Da Ma Waad Abinoojiig Council (Grandmothers Protecting Our Children) was held. The MFL's Executive Council, its senior governing body between General Conventions, voted unanimously to support the event. The vote was held on Monday September 10 during the Executive Council's quarterly meeting.

MFL President Darlene Dziewit said, "The Grandmothers are eloquent in their plea for an end to the violence and misery that continues to plague Aboriginal Peoples throughout Canada and Manitoba, and we call on all Manitobans to join in. But we must do more than walk. We must encourage all levels of government to take immediate steps to investigate the underlying issues and then to take effective action to address them."

Recently, the body of a young Aboriginal woman, 17 year old Fonessa Bruyere was found in a field on the outskirts of Winnipeg. She had been murdered. There are currently 19 unsolved murders of men and women in Manitoba.

A coalition of Aboriginal women representing four groups - Mothers of Red Nations, Ka Ni Kanichihk, Southern Chiefs Organization and Sisters in Spirit - has called for the establishment of a Manitoba-based task force to focus specifically on murdered and missing women in Manitoba, many of them Aboriginal women.

Dziewit said, "This is a useful suggestion for governments to implement immediately. Effective action must be taken immediately to end the violence and killings in our communities which is mainly directed at women. I hope that many people turn out to support the Grandmothers and participate in their March."