WEBVTT

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My cousin Tanya Holyk went missing in 1996.

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She was one of the unlucky ones.

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Her DNA was found on Pickton's farm,

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and I have a missing auntie.

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Her name is Belinda Williams.

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But she's been missing since 1977.

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I want to raise awareness

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of the alarming high rates of violence against First Nations women and girls across canada.

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And the high alarming rates of missing and murdered First Nations women across canada.

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I want to promote First Nation women role models,

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and give aboriginal youth, teens, girls, and all women

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someone to look up to in our communities.

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I have 20 beautiful First Nations women backing me up on this.

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And I have a good support system.

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And we're calling ourselves Butterflies In Spirit.

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I find it appalling that it continues to happen.

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I find it disturbing that the agencies won't admit

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a little bit of racial discrimination

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might've been a deciding factor

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in them investigating or not

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because these were aboriginal women.

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So I really believe that the system

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the justice system in particular,

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really has to take a look at how it deals with its aboriginal population.

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And so I believe that this is an important cause.

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I volunteer and organize with a group of women,

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the Aboriginal Women's Action Network,

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and we believe there can not be a meaningful outcome from the Oppal Commission,

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in light of the fact that the Native Courtworkers and Counseling Association of BC,

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the Union of BC Chiefs,

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the Carrier Sekani,

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NWAC [Native Women's Association of Canada]

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Power of Women Group,

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many other groups

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have been shut out of this process.

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Frontline women's organizations are not able to participate in the missing women's inquiry

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because they were shut out,

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we were given standing, but then not given any funding to have lawyers,

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and we can't participate,

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none of us are lawyers,

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none of us are able to cross-examine,

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and none of us are able to review a million pages of documentation.

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So unfortunately, we have not been able to participate in any particularly meaningful way.

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Well we've been doing a variety of things,

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some of which is, um, talking to people, attending rallies, um,

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really talking about the inability of all of us not to be able to participate,

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and also thinking about how women might want to come forward

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if it were in an easier place to do it.

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However, that, now that we have attended days of the inquiry,

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it's really apparent that this is not a safe place for women to be.

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So unfortunately between not being able to because of lack of legal advice,

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and as well as a place that really isn't accessible to many women

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who, you know, they haven't for 10 years wanted to come forward,

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and they may very well not want to come forward now.

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[Women's Warrior Song]

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And I often wonder,

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what hope is there?

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But we're still here!

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So there's hope!

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[Women's Warrior Song...]