On June 3, 2019, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls publicly released its final report, entitled: Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The report contains 231 Calls for Justice, and includes priorities for confronting the persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses fuelling Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. The National Inquiry’s Final Report includes 29 Métis-specific Calls for Justice.
On June 29, 2019, in response to the National Inquiry’s Final Report, and to supplement the 29 Métis-specific Calls for Justice, LFMO released its own report, entitled: Métis Perspectives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and LGBTQ2S+ People which includes 62 Calls for Change or Miskotahâ (pronounced “Mis-KO-ta-ha”).
Based on engagement opportunities, community feedback, advice from Métis subject matter experts, and most importantly, with input from Métis families and survivors, the 62 Calls for Miskotahâ were developed with the objective of operationalizing tangible actions that would effect meaningful, long-term change with respect to Métis MMIWG.
In fall 2019, federal work began on developing a National Action Plan on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People. LFMO was invited to provide input from a distinctions-based Métis perspective on an Implementation Framework that would form part of the National Action Plan.
Between autumn 2019 and summer 2021, despite the pandemic, LFMO engaged over 300 Métis leaders and community members across the Motherland on this issue, including Governing Members, Grandmothers, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, youth, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, Métis frontline workers and service providers.
On June 3, 2021, Canada released a National Action Plan focusing on the findings of the National Inquiry and the 62 Calls for Miskotahâ, and examining the root causes and forms of oppression which have contributed to the targeted, violent victimization of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
As part of, and In response to the National Action Plan and process, LFMO released its Métis-specific Action Plan in August 2021. This report, Weaving Miskotahâ, serves as the Métis Nation’s Implementation Framework for the National Inquiry Final Report’s Calls for Justice and the 62 Calls for Miskotahâ.
Weaving Miskotahâ highlights the Métis-led work already underway in response to the National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice and the Métis Nation’s Calls for Change, and outlines progress and outcomes achieved to date.
