Hundreds attend Sisters in Spirit vigil in downtown Calgary

A vigil for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls drew as many as 600 people Friday morning at a downtown Calgary park.

The event, intended to mark the 15th annual Sisters in Spirit Day, was one of a dozen similar gatherings that took place in Alberta and across the country.

Josie Nepinak, executive director for the Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society, said Calgary's Indigenous community came together to remember and honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, as well as to give healing to the families of those women.

"There are many unsolved cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women in this country, so we do this to create awareness to the general public, politicians, as well as the police services," said Nepinak.

This was the first year the Alberta government declared a Sisters in Spirit Day, which was announced at the Calgary vigil by Minister of Indigenous Relations Rick Wilson.

"We are proud to be part of the first Alberta government to declare Sisters in Spirit Day today to honour the memory of Indigenous women and girls who are missing or have been murdered," Wilson said in a release.

"Community vigils are held across Alberta and Canada giving families and loved ones a way to speak out for their daughters, mothers, nieces, aunts, sisters and grandmothers, whose voices have been silenced."

The event was also attended by Lt.-Gov. Lois E. Mitchell, UCP MLA Martin Long and Alberta's former NDP premier Rachel Notley.

While these gestures show the government cares, Nepinak said more action is needed to move forward.

"The declaration today by the Minister gives us that public acknowledge from the government level that says, 'Yes indigenous women's lives do matter,'" she said.

"It tells us that there is a door open and that hopefully this time that this government will listen… But there are also other issues we can think of provincially that need to do better, that need to step up."

This year's Sisters in Spirit Day comes five months after a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls published its final report.

The report contained 231 recommendations aimed at addressing the root causes of the disproportionate levels of violence faced by Indigenous people. 

The inquiry also called on governments and researchers to, in general, gather accurate statistical data on the experience of trans, non-binary and two-spirit people.

Nepinak said her community is more than willing to work with government and police services to develop action plans listed in the national inquiry.

"We do not want these recommendations to be collecting dust on a shelf somewhere," she said.