OTTAWA—In Parliament last week, Carol Hughes, MP for Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing, addressed the recent announcement of a pilot project between the federal government and the province of Manitoba to implement the country’s first Red Dress Alert system.
“The recent partnership between the federal government and Manitoba in implementing a Red Dress Alert Pilot Program to notify the public of missing Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people is an important step,” said MP Hughes. “But we must, and have to, do more to end gender-based violence against Indigenous women and girls and gender diverse individuals.”
On Red Dress Day, the federal government, in partnership with the government of Manitoba, announced the pilot project. The Red Dress Alert system, which mirrors other well-known alert systems such as the Amber Alert System, will notify Manitoba residents when an Indigenous woman or girl goes missing.
“The homicide rate for Indigenous women and girls remains six times higher than their non-Indigenous counterparts,” said MP Hughes. “A year ago, members of this House unanimously backed a motion declaring the deaths and disappearances of Indigenous women and girls a Canada-wide emergency.”
That motion, put forward by NDP MP Leah Gazan, also called for the implementation of a new alert system.
“It’s important that we, as legislators, work to implement the Calls for Justice from the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls,” said MP Hughes.
