Newlywed couple walking across Canada for missing and murdered Indigenous people

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

A newlywed couple walking across Canada is hoping to inspire others to join the conversation about missing and murdered Indigenous people and push for systemic change.

Charity and Cameron West arrived in Brandon, Man., Saturday. They hail from northern British Columbia — and for them, the issue hits close to home, Charity said.

Her son Tyrrehz's dad, Barry Blaine Thomas Seymour from Kwadacha Nation, went missing from Prince George, B.C., in May 2012. Charity said questions still linger.

"We don't know how it is not living it," Charity said. "It completely flips your world upside down … not knowing is the hardest, or all the scenarios that run through your head."

Cameron said he and Charity also live along the Highway of Tears, a 720-kilometre stretch of Highway 16 in northern B.C. where RCMP say 18 girls and women have gone missing from or been murdered near since 1969 — though Indigenous leaders say that number is closer to 50.

The couple got married in October and set off on their cross-Canada trip in early May.

During the first leg of their journey to St. John's, Nfld., each step is a reminder of the losses of those who were murdered or went missing, Cameron said. The second leg of their walk will honour those lost along the Highway of Tears, taking them from Prince Rupert to Prince George in B.C.

"There's a lot of miles, so you go through a lot of emotions.… We've both lost a lot of family members," Charity said. "It's been really tough. So you go through all those emotions, there's all this grieving, and then you miss home."

While visiting Brandon, they participated in the CFB Shilo Indigenous Peoples awareness week and will be part of a missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls feast and ceremony Sunday at the Riverbank Discovery Centre.

Florence Halcrow of Brandon's Ask Auntie said the outreach group has been supporting the couple's mission since meeting them in Regina.

"We have so many people, so many of our women and men that go missing and are murdered," Halcrow said, adding that includes the 2022 Winnipeg homicide of mother Tessa Perry, who had ties to Brandon.

Halcrow's hope is for Brandon to help fuel the national conversation about the effects of missing and murdered Indigenous people in Canada.

"It's very important for sure [to provide] support for our Indigenous people that are walking through and trying to bring awareness to others," Halcrow said. "Every community has some sort of murdered and missing Indigenous peoples."

Starting conversations

Charity and Cameron want their walk to inspire hard conversations about the crisis and encourage non-Indigenous people to join in on these discussions.

They said they are being supported by the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation, Kwadasha Nation, Takla Lake Nation and Lake Babine Nation in British Columbia.

Charity said they often talk to non-Indigenous people who want to support and engage in these conversations, but find it hard because they don't want to offend anyone.

For Charity, these connections are a chance to talk about their lived experiences so people better understand the loss and trauma created when someone is killed or goes missing.

Cameron said he hopes they inspire other walks, conversations and collaborations across the country.

While Canada has created high-level actions like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, it's hard to see direct changes happening in their community as a result, Charity said.

The inquiry's final report was released in 2019 and included sweeping calls for change. It found Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing than members of any other demographic group in Canada.

At least 28 Indigenous women in Manitoba have died due to violence since May 2020, Sandra DeLaronde, team lead for the Manitoba MMIWG2S implementation team, said earlier this month.

And in a report last year, Statistics Canada said 63 per cent of Indigenous women have experienced violence and nearly half have experienced sexual assault.

"We live it. We're not seeing the follow through," Charity said. "We can do better — everybody can do better."

If you or someone you know needs immediate emotional assistance, call 1-844-413-6649. This is a national, toll-free 24/7 crisis call line providing support for anyone who requires emotional assistance related to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.