'It needs to stop': Hundreds gather to honour Indigenous women killed by alleged serial killer
Hundreds of people gathered on Sunday night to honour four Indigenous women believed to have been murdered by an alleged serial killer.
“Manitobans should be appalled [by these deaths]. They should be standing up. They should be shouting. This place should’ve been packed tonight,” said MLA Bernadette Smith at Sunday’s vigil.
Rebecca Contois, 24, Marcedes Myran, 26, Morgan Beatrice Harris, 39, and one unidentified woman, who elders named Buffalo Woman, were remembered at a vigil on Sunday night at The Forks.
“We don’t want somebody to be known as unidentified. For us, a life is sacred and we have to honour that,” Smith said.
“When you go into a ceremony and you’re seeking a name, Buffalo Woman is often the name you’re given until they find your name.”
Those attending were also there to honour the other Indigenous women who have been victims of violence, and to draw attention to the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG).
The group said that more needs to be done to implement the 231 calls to justice that came out of the MMIWG final report.
“I think there needs to be a step for the government to take action and to just listen to what was said, because a lot of families attended that inquiry and there was a lot of money spent on that inquiry, and there are still things happening today with the four women that were murdered,” said Delores Daniels, an MMIWG advocate.
“It needs to stop. I don’t have an answer as to how it’s going to be stopped, but education is key and for people to listen to us as women.”
Smith said Sunday’s vigil was about highlighting the state of emergency when it comes to MMIWG and holding the government to account.
“It’s going to take more than just the levels of government, it’s going to take a change and a shift in society and how we treat one another,” she said.
“The stereotypical images that people are told about Indigenous people make us seen as less than, and people think that they can do what they did to our women. That needs to change.”
Smith added there needs to be more support for Indigenous people dealing with intergenerational trauma, as well as resources to help people get out of poverty and homelessness.
“Housing is huge, not only here in Winnipeg, but I think about our First Nation communities, there are three, four, five, six families living together,” she said.
“People are coming to Winnipeg and they’re being exploited, targeted. There are not enough things for Indigenous people to feel safe in this city.”
Jeremy Anthony Michael Skibicki is facing four charges of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of the four women. Skibicki’s lawyer said his client maintains his innocence and intends to plead not guilty.
None of the charges against Skibicki have been proven in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.