More than 4,000 Indigenous women and girls are believed to have been killed or gone missing in Canada within the past 30 years. There’s been multiple reports, recommendations and calls to action – many of which have not yet been implemented. 

The House of Commons recently backed a motion declaring missing & murdered Indigenous women, girls, two spirit and trans people, a national emergency. The house also supported implementing a red dress alert system – an amber alert system specific to these cases. 

Local 514 looks at how this can change the situation, the history of acknowledgement followed by little action, and speaks with a woman who has been fighting for justice for the death of her mother for the last 20 years. 

In this episode, the Local 514 team visited Cabot Square in Downtown Montreal. Here there has been multiple marches and vigils  protesting the ongoing violence against Indigenous women, girls, two spirit and trans people. These events have commemorated the lives of Indigenous women who have gone missing or have been murdered that were a part of Montreal’s community. 

Local 514 spoke with Bridget Tolley, from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, who's been fighting for justice for her mother's death for more than 20 years.

Her mother, Gladys Tolley, was struck and killed by a Sûreté du Québec (SQ) police cruiser while crossing Hwy 105 near her home on the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation in 2001.

Montreal police investigated, ruled Tolley’s death as accidental, and closed the case a few months later. Bridget Tolley, has been tirelessly fighting for justice, citing that investigators weren’t transparent and missed important details in the case. 

Bridget told Local 514 that she experienced difficulty accessing the police report and wasn’t told the investigation was closed, but instead learned this after a journalist contacted her.

Local 514 reached out to the Kidigan Zibi police force and the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) but didn’t receive a response until the publication of this article. 

Local 514 reached out to the SQ to understand how they respond to cases of MMIW. They said there is internal training that exists for all members of the SQ to handle Indigenous-related issues, educating officers to understand their realities.

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended that Canada implement 94 calls to action – only 13 of these 94 calls have been completed. The final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released in 2019, including 231 calls to justice. Since this report was released, Indigenous women continue to experience the same rate of violence.

The Calls to Action address education, prisons, access to healthcare, upholding culture, justice, and more. Activists and families say many of those calls have gone unanswered.

Local 514 reached out to Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller, but we were not granted an interview. However, we were provided a statement. Isabelle Buchanan, the Communications Assistant for the Office of the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations said that, “Addressing the Calls for Justice (CFJs) and putting an end to the national crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls (MMIWG) and 2SLGBTQI+ people is not a linear process”, but it is clear they need to do more.

She added that this work requires all levels of government and Minister Miller has established a permanent national roundtable with Indigenous leaders and partners, and federal, provincial and territorial governments, with the second round table coming up in fall 20203.

Filmmaker and Mohawk activist Ellen Gabriel told Local 514 that there isn’t enough action on all levels.

"The recommendations fall on deaf ears and it's Indigenous people that are actually saying you have not accepted these calls to action," said Gabriel. "t's only when we bring it up that they actually do something or Indigenous [Members of Parliament]."