SIS Vigils

WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON OCTOBER 4TH?

October 4th is a day where we honour the lives of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls. The violence experienced by Aboriginal women and girls in Canada is a national tragedy. We must take the time to give thanks to the families who have inspired the SIS movement and who are our reason we all continue to demand action.

Together with our partners Amnesty International Canada, KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC), and Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) we rally SIS advocates to host vigils in their own community. As a symbol of our partnership and commitment to the issue, our organizations craft a Joint Statment. Supporters from across the country are invited to publically add their orgnanization's name to the document to give it strength and unite under this cause. Once finalized, this statement is read at vigils nationwide on October 4th. View the 2011 Joint Statement.

We firmly believe that Sisters In Spirit Vigils are a movement for social change. In only four short years, the number of SIS Vigils has grown from 11 in 2006 to an impressive 72 vigils in 2009.

Moreover, a total of eighty three (83) cities have held a SIS vigil from 2006 to 2009:

Alberta

Athabasca
Beaver First Nation
Bow Island
Calgary
Edmonton
Grand Prairie
High Level
Lethbridge
Peace River
Rimbey
Slave Lake

British Columbia

Chilliwack
Coquitlam
Fort St. James
Fort St. John
Kelowna
Moricetown
Nanaimo
New Westminster
Penticton
Prince George
Prince Rupert
Vancouver
Vanderhoof
Victoria

Manitoba

Brandon
Portage La Prairie
The Pas
Thompson
Winnipeg
Waywayseecappo

New Brunswick

Elsipogtog First Nation
Fredericton
Moncton
Tobique First Nation

Newfoundland & Labrador

Corner Brook
Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Makkovik
St. John's

Northwest Territories

Fort Smith
Yellowknife

Nova Scotia

Eskasoni First Nation
Halifax
Indian Brook First Nation
Membertou First Nation
Millbrook First Nation
Wagmatcook

Ontario

Akwesasne, Mohawk Territory
Barrie
Barry's Bay
Dryden
Fort Erie
Georgina Island
Haileybury
Hamilton
Kenora
Kingston
Lakefield
London
Marathon
Ottawa
Peterborough
Sault Ste. Marie
Sioux Lookout
Thunder Bay
Toronto

Prince Edward Island

Ellerslie
Charlottetown

Quebec

Chibougamau
Montreal

Saskatchewan

Beauval
Fort Qu'Appelle
La Ronge
Muscowpetung First Nation
Onion Lake
Pasqua First Nation
Piapot First Nation
Prince Albert
Regina
Saskatoon
Standing Buffalo First Nation
Yorkton

Yukon Territories

Whitehorse

Sisters In Spirit Vigils Support

2009 Support from Minister of Justice, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, Minister of Public Safety, and Minister of State (Status of Women).

“On the occasion of this fourth annual Sisters in Spirit vigil, the Government of Canada reiterates its commitment to protecting and advancing the equality of Aboriginal women and girls.

Today, Canadians from across the country will gather to honour the lives of the many Aboriginal women and girls who are missing, and offer support to their families who bear the terrible burden of grief. As a nation, we cannot stand by while over five hundred Aboriginal mothers, sisters, daughters, and aunties have been taken so violently from us....”

Click 2009 Ministers Statement to view.

2009 Support from Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues, Ontario.

“On Sunday, October 4, 2009, the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) and participating communities are holding vigils across Canada to honour the lives of Aboriginal women who are missing or have been murdered. Last year, 40 communities participated.

As this important date approaches, I would like to commend NWAC for their leadership in the Sisters In Spirit initiative. Through this initiative, NWAC works in collaboration with other Aboriginal women’s organizations and the federal government to improve the human rights of Aboriginal women and address the violence facing Aboriginal women, in particular the high rates of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada....”

Click 2009 Minister Responsible for Women's Issues, ON Letter to view.

2009 Support from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Canada’s largest union. CUPE members share why they joined with so many others in Montreal, QC, on October 4th 2009 and marched for action in the disappearance and death of hundreds of women.

Watch the video http://cupe.ca/women/sisters-spirit-oct-2009

2009 Support from the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), encouraging all Canadians to participate and support the Vigil and show solidarity in raising awareness of the need to address the violence facing Aboriginal women.

Read their statement at http://www.nupge.ca/node/2607

2009 Support from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), from sisters who attended the Ottawa, ON, vigil on October 4th 2009.

Read the article at http://www.cupw.ca/1/2/0/2/9/index1.shtml

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