The Avoidance of a National Crisis:

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women of Canada

Ms Melnick
Saige Bell
ENG4U
June 20th, 2016

When thinking about Canada, many remarkable things come to mind; our
emphasis on equality, human rights initiatives, and even our incredible landscape are a
few. What often slips our minds is some of the darkest history of our Nation. Within the
last 30 years there has been 1200 missing and murdered indigenous Women of Canada
(Maccharles, Tonda), with minimal efforts being put in place to address this violent
behavior. An important question to then ask ourselves is the issue of the missing and
murdered Indigenous women of Canada being avoided by society? Looking at this
statement, there are many influences within our history that has caused this avoidance by
media and society. Reports issued by the RCMP as well as research shows thatfor
stereotypes as well as the color of your skin can dictate how much media coverage a
vanished woman will receive, with indigenous women having much less (Media
Portrayals). Equally, Canadas previous government under Stephen Harper has caused
immense repression regarding the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women. The
cutting of funding of womens organizations having taken a harsh hit. Society has
considerably avoided this national issue for too long and change needs to happen for
equality to render.

For many years families of murdered indigenous women have argued that media
does not pay as much attention to these women than if they were white (Media
Portrayals) and shockingly, research shows this is correct. Highway of Tears is a
stretch of highway located in British Columbia where many young women have
disappeared. In the late sixties to eighties almost 20 women had vanished, and in 1994
more than a dozen had also vanished (Media Portrayals). The media never acknowledged

these disappearances until it was realized that 8 of the victims were white (Media
Portrayals). The first article released by papers such as the Globe and Mail, the Edmonton
Journal, and the Vancouver Sun, was that of a 25-year-old white women (Media
Portrayals). This can be explained as missing white girl syndrome. The phenomenon
that reveals how statistics show vanished and murdered dark-skinned woman are not
covered by media as significantly as white females are (Media Portrayals). These
statistics show how our society favors white women over Indigenous women. Despite
having similar circumstances, the media chooses to cover stories of white females,
proving how our society avoids the continuing issue of missing and murdered Indigenous
women

A study by Kristen Gilchrist demonstrates the extent of lesser media coverage in

terms of Indigenous women. In Kristen Gilchrists study Newsworthy Victims?
Exploring differences in Canadian Local Press Coverage of Missing/Murdered Aboriginal
and White Women, it is proven just how much more society cares to hear about white
women rather than Indigenous women. In the unbiased study, 3 white women and 3
indigenous women who were close to their families and not involved with drugs or the
sex trade, were studied based on media coverage (Media Portrayals). The study showed
that there were 6 times more stories regarding white women and were often accompanied
by large photos and placed on the front page (Media Portrayals). On the other hand,
articles of indigenous women rarely had pictures and usually placed beside noneimportant news, making the deaths or disappearances of them seem less important.
(Media Portrayals) Furthering the gap between indigenous and white women, the articles

of white women were 4 times longer on average and went into in-depth details of their
life and hobbies (Media Portrayals). Contrary to this, Indigenous women were often
described as shy, nice, pretty, and other impartial aspects to their lives (Media
Portrayals). This proves how the treatment of white and Indigenous women differs. More
thought and sympathy goes into articles of white women while Indigenous women are
often made to seem less serious. This study exemplifies how our society does not
acknowledging the prejudice against Canadas missing and murdered Indigenous women.
Even when an unbiased study was done of white and indigenous women, the media still
paid more attention to the three white females, only continuing the avoidance.

Equally, two studies done by Yasmine Jiwani make obvious the difference
between societal recognition of white vanished and murdered females versus Indigenous.
In her essay Symbolic and Discursive Violence in Media Representation of Aboriginal
Missing and Murdered Women, researched revealed how stereotypes make Indigenous
women seem less sympathetic to media. Seven years worth of articles were reviewed by
the Globe and Mail outlining the magnitude of the stereotypes (Media Portrayals).
Almost all articles only perpetuated the portrayal of Indigenous women being drug
addicts and victims of poverty, thus continuing the avoidance by society. By making
Indigenous women out to be criminals society would push them to the side, assuming the
cases were unimportant. Additionally, in Jiwanis study Missing and Murdered Women:
Reproducing Marginality in News Discourse, it was made clear that white females
received more empathy. The study was based on the coverage of Picktons victims, a man
who killed 6 women of mostly sex-trade workers and not all Aboriginal decent (Media

Portrayals). The media stories of the white women were empathetic and expressed that
their families loved them (Media Portrayals). When articles were released with
Indigenous victims their deaths were made to be a result of choosing a risky lifestyle
(Media Portrayals). By making white women seem loved and Indigenous women seem
they got what they deserved, is a part of societies issue. By not confronting the problem
and avoiding what is happening, people remain ignorant of the issues. Society is still
avoiding the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women as they continue to
perpetuate stereotypes, empathize more with white victims, and pay more attention to
them. Families of Aboriginal victims have to fight in order to be heard, whereas white
victims are instantly seen as being a story of despair that no one should have to go
through.

In equal importance to how the media portrays Indigenous women, the Canadian
government also has a history of making the issue seem unimportant. When the Canadian
government was under Stephen Harper, womens organizations that assisted in the issue
of missing and murdered indigenous women were extremely underfunded and mistreated.
In harpers first term as Prime Minister 1 billion dollars was cut in funding, with the
Status of Women in Canada funding being nearly cut in half (Jackson, Kenneth). In 2006,
the funding for research and advocacy was eliminated as well as having 12 of 16 regional
offices closed, thus eliminating initiatives to help Indigenous women and create a stigma
around the issue. (Hearly, Teresa, and Stuart Trew). A study from 2015 has shown that
money that previously went to research and advocacy for womens rights went mostly to
programs led or associated with, business groups with a much more limited, typically

economic focus (Hearly, Teresa, and Stuart Trew). This means focus was targeted to
women working in non-traditional, resource and high-tech industries. Although it is
beneficial for women to have these jobs, by cutting funding for research and advocacy it
was made harder for organizations associated with Indigenous women to figure out
underlying causes of their death and disappearances.

Additionally, Harper wanted to cut the funding to Native Womens Association of

Canada, which paid for the Sisters in Spirit (SIS) program; a program that was tracking
all missing and murdered Indigenous women of Canada for the first time in history
(Jackson, Kenneth). Harper was interested in the 5 million dollars that the program was
receiving over 5 years, but was unable to cut the funding. Harper responded by treating
the SIS program particularly poorly. He no longer invited them to meet dignitaries as the
Liberals did, and constantly required extensive reports for all that they did, making it
incredibly difficult for SIS to function as Harper was breathing down their necks
(Jackson, Kenneth). When the SIS funding was about to come to an end, SWC offered
them 1.89 million dollars over 3 years (Jackson, Kenneth). This money was only under
the condition that they could not conduct research for the missing and murdered
Indigenous people of Canada, their main initiative (Jackson Kenneth). Harper was not
interested in funding SIS to help the missing and murdered Indigenous women and
through his terms as Prime Minister he avoided the problem. He avoided the national
issue entirely as he cut and reoriented funding of organizations that previously helped
Indigenous women.

Furthermore, the RCMP has created a report of the missing and murdered
Indigenous women. In the report issued by the RCMP in 2015, a comprehensive file
review, the extent of the missing and murdered Indigenous women was outlined
(Missing and Murdered). The Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women: A National
Operational Overview, compiled new statistics and analysis on newfound cases of
missing and murdered Indigenous women. In both 2013 and 2014 there were 32 homicide
cases, which was consistent with past years (Missing and Murdered). This information
means that over the last 30 years, numbers of women going missing and being murdered
has never gone down. This shows how society has not acknowledged this issue as over 30
years there has not been any initiatives great enough to stop the atrocities. Furthermore,
research showed that most cases were linked with family violence and women were
frequently killed by men in their community (Missing and Murdered). In fact, in 100% of
cases the offender knew the victim (Missing and Murdered). This information lead the
RCMP to focus on familial and spousal violence, as well as encouraging aboriginal
communities to improve their safety by approaching challenges and finding solutions
(Missing and Murdered). Overall, the hope of the report was to increase public awareness
of the crisis and inspire prevention. Although the point of the report was to create change,
it also highlights how much society has avoided this issue. Despite most violence
occurring within Aboriginal communities there has never been action to implement
safety. In addition to this, the rate at which homicides have occurs has never changed.
Over the past 30 years, society has never confronted these wrongings or offered safety in
their communities, meaning death rates continued to stay the same.

Aboriginal women aged 25-44 are 5 times more likely to suffer a cruel death than
any other women in Canada (Media Portrayals). The extensive tragedies that Indigenous
women have experienced has made the question arisen: is the issue of the missing and
murdered Indigenous women of Canada being avoided by society? The answer to this is
yes, it is being avoided by society. The media has avoided this issue greatly, by
perpetuating stereotypes and making murders and disappearances seem more tragic
among white females. Additionally, through the action of Stephen Harper, initiatives that
were helping the cause experienced extreme hardship. Through cutting and redirecting
funding of the Status of Women in Canada, Harper only further avoided the national
crisis. Finally, a report issued by the RCMP also outlined the atrocities that had been
going on and how society had acted minimally as homicide rates seized to change.
Society has greatly avoided this national crisis over 30 years and without
acknowledgment deaths and disappearances of Indigenous women will continue.

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