From Calls for Justice to Action on the Ground
Thunder Bay – Indigenous News – On June 3, 2019, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) released its Final Report, Reclaiming Power and Place. The Inquiry found that the ongoing crisis is a genocide based on colonialism, racism, and systemic violence. It made 231 Calls for Justice to all levels of government and Canadian society.
The 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan was released by governments and Indigenous partners on June 3, 2021. It was meant to help carry out those Calls for Action.
In Thunder Bay the National Inquiry was in the City in December 2017. The meeting brought together families sharing their story of their…
From Calls for Justice to Action on the Ground
Thunder Bay – Indigenous News – On June 3, 2019, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) released its Final Report, Reclaiming Power and Place. The Inquiry found that the ongoing crisis is a genocide based on colonialism, racism, and systemic violence. It made 231 Calls for Justice to all levels of government and Canadian society.
The 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan was released by governments and Indigenous partners on June 3, 2021. It was meant to help carry out those Calls for Action.
In Thunder Bay the National Inquiry was in the City in December 2017. The meeting brought together families sharing their story of their missing and murdered sisters, mothers, and women.
Opening in Thunder Bay
Since then, each province and territory has come up with its own response or plan, usually with the help of Indigenous groups.
Indigenous families, groups, and former Inquiry commissioners are still warning that progress is slow and uneven, though.
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) report card found that only two Calls for Justice that affect First Nations have been fully carried out.
Most of them have made little or no progress, and the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) calls implementation “alarmingly slow” and “fragmented.”
The issue of MMIWG has seemingly faded from the frontlines across Canada as a major news report. Sadly like many National Inquiries over time in Canada, the report is made, delivered in this case with great ceremony to then Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and in some ways that was all that really happened, women and girls are still dying. There is progress, but for many that progress is far slower than it needs to be.
National Timeline – Key Milestones
2016 – National Inquiry launched.
2016–2018 – Hearings and statement gatherings held across the country.
June 3, 2019 – Final Report released, with 231 Calls for Justice; the crisis is characterized as genocide.
2019–2020 – Provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners begin early responses and consultation on a national plan.
June 3, 2021 – National Action Plan and Federal Pathway released.
2022–2025 – Annual federal progress reports, provincial/territorial updates, AFN and NWAC report cards, and three National Indigenous–Federal–Provincial–Territorial meetings on advancing the Calls for Justice.
Despite these structures, Indigenous-led evaluations consistently stress that implementation is lagging behind commitments, and that families still do not see the systemic transformation envisioned in 2019.
Province-by-Province Snapshot of Progress or Lack of Progress
British Columbia
BC frames much of its response to MMIWG within its implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) Action Plan and the provincial report “A Path Forward: Priorities and Early Strategies for BC.”
Key elements include:
A Path Forward Community Fund (over $5 million initially) to support Indigenous-led community safety, healing, and prevention initiatives.
Integration of MMIWG-related commitments into BC’s broader human-rights and reconciliation framework under DRIPA.
Indigenous organizations in BC, including the BC Assembly of First Nations and UBCIC, continue to press the province and Canada to treat the ongoing gender-based violence crisis as an emergency, pointing out that despite funding, the impacts of feminicide and violence remain devastating.
Alberta
Alberta’s main response is the Alberta Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Roadmap, released in 2022 and grounded in recommendations from the Alberta Joint Working Group (113 “pathways to justice”).
The Roadmap emphasizes that actions must be: Indigenous-led, culturally informed, trauma-informed, and decolonizing. Provincial initiatives focus on safety, justice reform, economic security, and community-based violence prevention programs.
At the same time, Indigenous women’s organizations in Alberta, and national groups like NWAC, note that many structural Calls for Justice—such as independent oversight, human-rights accountability, and systemic police reform—are still only partially addressed.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan has outlined its response in a provincial response paper and through initiatives such as the MMIWG+ Community Response Fund, launched in 2022.
The Response Fund provides grants for Indigenous-led projects focusing on violence prevention, community safety, and healing.
A 2025 provincial statement highlights “significant progress” since 2019 through targeted investments and partnerships with Indigenous communities.
However, First Nations leadership in the province, including the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), has publicly stressed that the level of change still does not match the urgency of the crisis and has called for more sustained, systemic action.
Manitoba
Manitoba describes itself as building a “concrete and effective response” that aligns with its broader Framework for Addressing Gender-Based Violence.
A province-Indigenous partnership table coordinated by the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre is co-developing a provincial implementation plan linked to the National Action Plan.
Manitoba is also working with Canada and Indigenous partners on a Red Dress Alert system to respond more quickly when Indigenous women, girls, or 2SLGBTQQIA+ people go missing.
Despite that, advocates in Winnipeg and across the province continue to say that five years on, they are still waiting for clear, measurable progress on many of the Calls for Justice, particularly around policing, housing, and poverty.
Provincial and Territorial Breakdown of Progress
Ontario
Ontario released “Pathways to Safety: Ontario’s strategy in response to the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls” in May 2021.
The strategy focuses on:
Addressing root causes of violence (poverty, housing, child welfare, colonial policies).
Supporting Indigenous-led initiatives and integrating recommendations from the Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) report, Our Women and Girls Are Sacred.
ONWA and other Indigenous organizations continue to advocate for meaningful implementation and accountability, reminding governments that Indigenous women must be at the centre of all MMIWG responses.
Quebec
Quebec had parallel processes to the National Inquiry, including its own commission and a dedicated Quebec volume in the Final Report.
The province released an action plan that includes more than 26 measures intended to benefit Indigenous women and girls, embedded within a larger strategy for relations with Indigenous peoples.
Quebec’s contribution to the National Action Plan highlights commitments around housing, health, justice, and public safety, as well as collaboration with Indigenous partners.
Nonetheless, national and Indigenous assessments note that many Calls for Justice requiring strong oversight, data transparency, and deep police and justice reforms remain incomplete in Quebec and across Canada.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick’s work is framed by “Weaving Our Voices Together,” a provincial process to engage with the National Inquiry and develop responses in partnership with Indigenous communities.
The province maintains a dedicated MMIWG2S+ information and programs page, highlighting services, awareness activities, and coordination with Indigenous partners.
New Brunswick participates in national tables on MMIWG2S+, and its minister responsible for Women’s Equality has publicly committed to continued work after the third National Indigenous–FPT meeting in January 2025.
Community advocates, however, continue to stress that resources must be Indigenous-led and that systemic changes—especially in policing, child welfare, and social services—are still emerging rather than complete.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia states that it is working “in partnership with the Mi’kmaq to respond to the report’s Calls for Justice.”
Recent steps include:
Ongoing support and expansion of a Family Information Liaison Unit and outreach led by the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association, bolstered by a $2.2 million federal investment (2025).
A provincial Resilience Centre recognized as a symbol of commitment and action on the Calls for Justice, and a 2023 progress report “at a glance.”
While services have grown, Mi’kmaq and Indigenous women’s advocates in the region continue to call for deeper structural shifts—especially in child welfare, justice, and housing—to match the spirit of the Calls for Justice.
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island released a preliminary status report on the Calls for Justice in 2020 and has committed to annual status reports on both MMIWG Calls for Justice and TRC Calls to Action.
The province emphasizes that its response is Indigenous-led, developed in close collaboration with Mi’kmaq and urban Indigenous communities on PEI.
The 2025 update highlights concrete steps but also acknowledges that work to fully implement the Calls for Justice remains ongoing.
AFN’s national statement on Red Dress Day in 2025, with PEI’s regional chief participating, reinforces that small provinces are part of a much larger national responsibility.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador participated in the Inquiry and has since reported on its ongoing work to prevent violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
A 2023 provincial progress report “at a glance” under the National Action Plan notes commitments around shelters, community-based supports, and engagement with Indigenous governments and women’s organizations.
In Labrador and Nunatsiavut, federal and provincial initiatives related to justice, cultural awareness, and gender-based violence intersect with MMIWG responses, but Inuit and Innu leaders continue to press for more control over justice and social systems.
Territory-by-Territory Snapshot
Yukon
Yukon is often cited as one of the more detailed territorial responses. In 2020, the Yukon Advisory Committee on MMIWG2S+ released “Changing the Story to Upholding Dignity and Justice: Yukon’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit+ People Strategy.”
The strategy takes a “whole-of-Yukon” approach, with multiple partners (Yukon government, Indigenous women’s organizations, First Nations governments, and Canada).
Annual progress reports detail specific actions and hold partners to account for implementation.
Even with this clearer reporting, Indigenous women’s organizations stress that implementation must be sustained long-term and that improvements in policing, safety, and supports are still urgently needed.
Northwest Territories
The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) issued “Doing Our Part” in 2019 as an initial response to the Final Report and has since developed a more detailed Action Plan on MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People.
A 2024–25 annual report tracks departmental actions, including widespread Indigenous cultural awareness and sensitivity training for GNWT staff (over 5,000 employees enrolled).
The plan emphasizes justice reform, community safety, and culturally safe services, though many Calls for Justice require long-term structural change.
Families and communities continue to raise concerns about policing, missing-persons responses, and systemic racism—concerns echoed nationally by AFN, NWAC, and the former Inquiry commissioners.
Nunavut
Nunavut’s contribution to the National Action Plan outlines territorial responsibilities such as:
Coordinating service delivery between families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and other territorial and national agencies.
Supporting culturally grounded victim support and justice services in remote communities.
Nunavut is also linked to: The National Inuit Action Plan on MMIWG, which sets out Inuit-specific priorities across Inuit Nunangat.
The broader National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, where Nunavut’s bilateral agreement supports GBV-related actions that intersect with the MMIWG Calls for Justice.
Inuit organizations continue to highlight the urgent need for violence-prevention programming, housing, mental-health services, and Inuit-designed justice reforms across the North.
What the Pattern Shows Across Canada
Looking across provinces and territories, some common themes emerge:
Every jurisdiction now has some form of response—a roadmap, strategy, or action plan—usually developed with Indigenous partners and linked to the 2021 National Action Plan.
Community-based and Indigenous-led initiatives have grown, especially in areas like healing, commemoration, mental-wellness supports, and local safety projects. Structural changes are much slower: independent oversight, major shifts in policing and justice, data transparency, and creation of the national and regional human-rights accountability mechanisms called for in Call for Justice 1.7 are still incomplete.
Indigenous-led scorecards (AFN and NWAC) and public statements from former commissioners consistently say that Canada’s overall pace does not yet match the scale or urgency of the crisis.
In other words: everywhere, there is movement; nowhere, is the work finished.
Holding Space for Families, and for the Work Ahead
For families, survivors, and communities, the Calls for Justice were never just policy recommendations. They were—and remain—a promise: that the lives of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people will be protected, honoured, and cherished; that this genocide will end.
Today, six years after the Final Report and four years into the National Action Plan, Canada has built frameworks, strategies, and tables. Provinces and territories have written plans and launched funds. These are important beginnings.
But Indigenous leaders and organizations remind us that real accountability lives in outcomes:
Are fewer women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people going missing or being killed?
Are families receiving respectful, timely responses, grounded in their cultures and rights?
Are colonial systems—policing, child welfare, housing, health, justice—truly being transformed?
Until those answers are “yes” in every territory and province, the Calls for Justice remain active, living instructions to all of us.