University of Winnipeg to host national conference on Report into MMIWG2S

The University of Winnipeg (U of W) will host a national conference on June 17 and 18 looking at ways Canada’s universities may address the Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into MMIWG2S.

U of W faculty members Jaqueline Romanow and Jane Barter will host the conference which will keep the report and what it represents ‘front and centre’ in the consciousness of Canada’s post-secondary learning institutions.

“The issues associated with MMIWG2S have not gone away – in fact, the realities of pandemic life have made many of them worse. We want to relight the fire around the National Inquiry and address the recommendations from the perspective of universities,” said Romanow in a statement.

The conference will feature three keynote speakers; former U of W adjunct professor Karen Duhamel, Sheila North and Sandra DeLaronde. Duhamel played a key role in researching and drafting the Final Report, as well as managing the Forensic Document Review Project and the Legacy Archive. She is now a public servant working to implement the National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice across all levels of government.

North is the former Grand Chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, which represents 30 northern First Nations in Manitoba. North is a former CTV journalist and was nominated for a Gemini Award as a CBC journalist. Her journalism has long covered MMIWG2S and, in 2019, she released a documentary on the issue, titled 1200+. For this documentary, she worked closely with family members, who shared their stories of loved ones’ disappearances.

DeLaronde is a member of Cross Lake First Nation whose roots are in the Métis settlement of Duck Bay. Throughout her distinguished career, she has made it her life work to bring attention to the situation of MMIWG2S. She served as co-chair of Manitoba’s MMIWG2S Coalition.

“I think that each of these distinguished speakers brings a diverse perspective — community advocacy, education, Indigenous politics, journalism, and research — that will help to engender new conversations and strategies,” Romanow said.

Assisting Romanow and Barter in coordinating the conference will be Indigenous student researchers Christy Bird and Brenda Daniels.