Sisters in Spirit: Halifax event honours missing and murdered Indigenous women

About 40 people gathered in downtown Halifax on Tuesday as part of a Canada-wide movement called Sisters in Spirit.

Attendees dressed in red, made signs, prayed and drummed to honour the lives of all Indigenous people, including murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls, gender-diverse, two-spirit and transgender people.

Similar events were held in cities across Canada, including Ottawa, Gatineau, Que., and Edmonton.

Organizers say it is a subject that affects everyone.

"You may not have lost someone, but when you hear on the news of someone who is missing or murdered, you can't not be touched by it,” says Denise John, a victim support navigator with the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre in Halifax. “You may have something going on in your life that we feel is very important to bring awareness together in our communities, no matter if you're Indigenous or not.”

John adds that the event is held to help families grieving a missing loved one. The event is personal for John, whose cousin was murdered in a small, rural First Nation community in Newfoundland in 2019.

More than 1,000 Indigenous women and girls were killed or went missing between 1980 and 2012, according to the RCMP. However, experts believe the true number is closer to 4,000, according to the Native Women's Association of Canada.

Statistics Canada has found that the average homicide rate involving Indigenous victims was six-times higher than those involving a non-Indigenous victim.

On June 3, 2019, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls published its final report on the matter, titled “Reclaiming Power and Place.”

The national inquiry called the thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada a "genocide" and included 231 "calls for justice" in its report.

However, Indigenous groups like the Native Women's Association of Canada have criticized the federal government, saying that little progress has been made to end violence against Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people, since the report was released.

Ottawa has said some progress has been made, but has acknowledged that more work needs to be done.

With files from CTVNews.ca