Lack of progress 1 year after MMIWG report 'disheartening,' says Sask. teen

Richie Lee said the reality that as an Indigenous teenage girl she could be killed or disappear is never far from her mind.

"I could be gone forever and no one will know why or know how it happened — they'll just know that it happened and nothing's going to be done about it," said the 15-year-old, whose family is from the Zagime Anishinabek (Sakimay First Nation) in southeastern Saskatchewan.

"I wish that I could believe that I don't have to be afraid of this."

She doesn't worry just for herself, but also for her sister, her mother and her other family members.

The murder and disappearance of Indigenous women and girls is a systemic problem in Canada, labelled a genocide by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which released its final report in June 2019.

Countless families still do not have answers about what happened to their loved ones.

The report listed 231 steps that need to be taken by governments and Canadians in order to make substantive changes.

Lee said many people appear to now acknowledge the injustices and that people need to act, but she has no confidence change is going to come. The stories of missing and murdered women and girls weigh heavy upon her.

"Knowing that people won't do anything about it, it's just kind of disheartening and it sometimes makes me not feel like a person," she said. "I am proud of my culture. I am proud of who I am. But it's kind of hard sometimes."

Lee said the fear she lives with is compounded by racism she experiences either at school or shopping at the mall.

"I'll go into the mall and I'll be looking into the store and someone will follow me around, thinking that I'm shoplifting because of the colour of my skin," she said."Some days, I don't want to live in a world where I have to constantly worry about being stared at just being my colour."

She and her friends plan to meet at the Saskatchewan Legislature on Friday at 2 p.m. to raise awareness. They welcome anyone who wants to come and support.

Have to do better, says prof

"We have a long way to go," said Priscilla Settee, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan.

Many of the calls to action in the inquiry's report involve the justice system. Settee noted the one-year anniversary of the report came just days before a police officer fatally shot an 26-year-old Indigenous woman during a wellness check in a northwestern New Brunswick city.

She said there have not been significant changes in Saskatchewan

"The kinds of infrastructural support that are needed by Indigenous women and other women who live in the margins have not been dealt with adequately … in terms of social housing, in terms of employment, in terms of daycare."

Settee said entire systems must be overhauled, including the distribution of money, if things are to improve. She said existing policies keep vulnerable people vulnerable, and she wants less government money going to corporations and more directed to marginalized people.

"We can make sure that the system does not only cater to the people who already have enough."

While awareness has improved since the report's release, Settee said she still witnesses people who become angry when racism is brought up in conversation.

People must educate themselves about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, as well as the related societal issues, and look for solutions, she said.

"The second thing is for people to take responsibility within their own communities."

Settee said she has seen more youth in the province starting to advocate for change not just for themselves, but for their peers of all backgrounds. She said it's encouraging.

"When I was younger there was a statement that said 'question authority' and I think we need to do that," she said. "We need to question the wisdom of our so-called leaders, because they're the ones to continue to propagate these policies."

Government acknowledges anniversary

"Our government supports and values the meaningful and important work of the National Inquiry," Saskatchewan Justice Minister Don Morgan said in a press release.

"We owe it to past, present and future generations to work together to prevent violence and ensure safer communities."

The government highlighted its $300,000 First Nations and Métis Community Projects grant program, which will focus on locally developed projects "related to issues raised by the National Inquiry into MMIWG."

The ministry also highlighted the Provincial Partnership Committee on Missing Persons, "a unique Saskatchewan partnership which includes Indigenous and non-Indigenous community-based organizations; police; search and rescue; and several provincial ministries."

The province said it has made increasing Indigenous representation among those working in the justice system a priority, pointing to five Indigenous judges appointed to the provincial court of Saskatchewan since 2018.