Family marching to Ottawa for missing, murdered, and neglected Indigenous men, boys, and two-spirited people

A march on the nation's capital calling for an inquiry into missing, murdered, and neglected Indigenous men, boys, and two-spirited people came through Winnipeg Saturday.

Members of the Dubois family are walking on foot from Regina to Ottawa this summer to draw attention to two family tragedies they say could have been avoided. 

"We're marching on Ottawa for my son, Haven Dubois, who was murdered eight years ago, and for my uncle Steven who was horribly neglected during the last days of his life at the Regina Pasqua Hospital," said Richelle Dubois.

Dubois found the body of her son Haven in the waters of Pilot Butte Creek in Regina on May 20, 2015. A coroners report listed his death as accidental.

Her uncle Steven Dubois was receiving end-of-life care in Regina in 2022 when his family documented acts of neglect by hospital staff. They say he was denied pain medication and other appropriate care services, and are now calling on the federal government to investigate.

"We're pushing for an inquiry into the healthcare system in the treatment of Indigenous people across Canada, and an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous men, boys, and two-spirited (people)," said Dubois.

The march began last month in Regina. "I started on June 6 – that was my son's birthday," Dubois said. "I started at the creek that I found him in in Regina and we started walking that day, and we're on our way to Ottawa."

The group expects to arrive at the House of Commons in September, when they are hoping to meet with representatives from the Assembly of First Nations and the federal government. 

The meetings have not yet been set, but Dubois is optimistic their voices will be heard.

"They do know we're coming," she said.