October 4th is the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people, also known as Sisters in Spirit Day. Today we honour and remember the lives of the missing and murdered women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse folks who have disappeared or been lost to violence. We also acknowledge the strength, love and dedication of survivors, families and advocates who continue to sustain the crucial work needed to respond to this ongoing genocide. I honour your heart work, and I will continue to stand with you until this genocide is finally put to an end. Survivors and families have bravely navigated systems that too often fail to provide protection, respond to disappearances, or provide meaningful support. It is their voices that brought the truth of this national crisis forward and it is their leadership that remains at the centre of this work. It is the stories of survivors and families that informed the critical National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which released 231 Calls for Justice in 2019 outlining the steps necessary to end the ongoing genocide. But seven years later, only two have been implemented, and 82 have not even been started. While the House of Commons unanimously recognized MMIWG2S+ as a Canada-wide emergency, the government has failed to respond with the urgency and resources needed. Last week, the Permanent People’s Tribunal released its final ruling from the session on Missing and Disappeared Indigenous Children and Unmarked Graves in Canada. The international court ruled that Canada has committed international crimes of genocide and crimes of humanity against Indigenous peoples, and that these crimes are ongoing. The ruling stated that Canada’s response to the MMIWG epidemic has been inadequate and slow, which fails to protect Indigenous women and girls from further violence. The Tribunal also found that while Canada has welcomed reports like the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, “little of substance has changed.” They also stated governments have lacked care and accountability in investigations to end the high rates of violence against MMIWG2S+. These rulings reflect current government inaction. Nearly half of all funding for initiatives launched in response to the National Inquiry’s Calls to Justice has been cut, while pushing full force ahead with resource extraction projects without community safety plans. Increasing resource extraction projects without clear and well-resourced safety plans will increase violence against Indigenous women and girls. This finding came out of a cross-partisan report in 2022 from the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. In 2026, the Permanent People’s Tribunal recommendations echoed this concern, calling for “halting the development of pipelines near Indigenous communities in accordance with the Paris Agreement, and provide sustainable, Indigenous-led security for communities.” Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people deserve better. We have the right to safety and dignity. On this National Day of Action, it is incumbent upon our leaders to commit to listening to survivors, families and advocates by urgently implementing the recommendations of the Tribunal on responding to the ongoing MMIWG2S+ genocide, including the immediate implementation of all 231 Calls to Justice. My heart goes out to all the survivors, families and advocates.