On this somber and important day, ISN Maskwa would like to extend our remembrance to the women, girls, LGBTQ2S as well as condolences to families who have been impacted by murder in Canada. We would also like to extend our hope and prayers that those who are missing will be found and brought home.
ISN Maskwa is an organization composed of mainly Indigenous people; many of whom have been personally impacted by loss due to murder and relatives who are missing. Many of ISN Maskwa staff are former police officers who may have been on the frontlines investigating Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (“MMIWG”) cases and understand the significance of this day.
It is important to acknowledge the truth of the ongoing genocide that has been happening since Confederation. Our relations; women, girls, and LGBTQ2S are 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing. The release of the Ontario Ombudsman report Missing in Inaction: Misty’s Story clearly indicates that systemic failure is on-going, particularly to people at risk.
When ISN Maskwa is working on deployments, our trained members are doing their utmost to protect community members from those that would seek to prey on others; drug dealers, human traffickers, abusive partners, etc. In response, we employ numerous security strategies so our relations can get home safe and remain safe within the community. There have been a few occasions where someone was declared missing and ISN Maskwa Community Support Personnel (“CSP”) have aided in the search. Every ISN Maskwa CSP has received basic training in search and rescue.
The Center for Disease Control acknowledges that evacuations, due to disasters globally, such as floods and fires, leave evacuees at risk of human trafficking. As such, it is important that organizations and institutions do not just offer “thoughts and prayers”, but go beyond recognizing the truth because once truth is recognized action is required. ISN Maskwa finds itself in a unique position to act when Nations and members are at their most vulnerable. Unfortunately, no such study on the impacts of community evacuations and human trafficking exists in Canada but we have experienced the dangers that come with deployments.
We, at ISN Maskwa, would like to reiterate our sincere sorrow to those who have lost their lives to violence, our hope for those still missing and our condolences to all affected families. We also reaffirm our commitment to action and being there for our relatives when they are evacuated from home or their community and are in crisis. We encourage all Indigenous female, identifying and LGBTQ2S individuals to check in with us now and again for training opportunities – your perspective and strength is a welcome asset to our growing team.
Author Bio
Will Landon (Waabishkigaabo) is a nationally recognized mental health advocate and leader, a freelance writer, and he holds a Bachelor of Arts. He takes time when he can to enter deployments as a Community Support Personnel and Supervisor with ISN Maskwa, providing his expertise in mental health and relationship building where he can. His goal while on deployment is to provide compassionate support for the Nations and their people when in need.
