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May 31, 2021

ON BEHALF OF THE ABORIGINAL FRIENDHSIP CENTRE OF CALGARY’S BOARD, STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS

 

The Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary (AFCC) shares in the heartbreak of families who are impacted by the tragic discovery of the bodies of 215 children in a mass grave at the Kamloops Residential School. AFCC prays for you and asks Creator to embrace you as you and all Indigenous peoples continue our journey of healing.

For generations, unmarked graves of children who died while attending residential schools have been talked about in our communities across Canada. AFCC thanks the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc for bringing to light the horror of this one discovery for all Canadians. 

AFCC’s Elder line is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm at 403-801-7482 for individuals in need of support. The Indian Residential Schools Crisis line is available 24/7 for anyone experiencing pain and distress at 1-866-925-4419.

For our non-Indigenous friends, the lives and deaths of these children is a sorrowful reminder of a dark part of Canada’s history. AFCC encourages you to learn more about the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada. We ask you to reach out to your Indigenous brothers and sisters and ask how I can be an ally in the fight for meaningful progress toward reconciliation. Know that discomfort is a natural response to uncomfortable truths.

 As the Commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) wrote in their July 2015 summary of their final report, “Reconciliation is not an Aboriginal problem; it is a Canadian one.”

  

 


Hello,

Please find below the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) media statement regarding the MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action Plan . 

The statement is also available on the NAFC website: https://www.nafc.ca/en/news-media/media-statement-nafc-statement-on-discovery-of-215-children-at-kamloops-residential-school 

Please note that a French media statement will follow shortly. 

In Friendship,

– The National Association of Friendship Centres

 


MEDIA STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 31, 2021
 

NAFC welcomes action plan, works to advance justice for MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+

The NAFC welcomes the long-awaited 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People. Since July 2020, the NAFC has played an active role as a member of the Missing and Murdered Women, Girls and 2SLGTBQQIA+ National Action Plan Urban Sub Working Group (USWG), comprised of members from urban Indigenous communities and organizations from all regions of Canada.
 
The USWG is one of eight sub working groups that all contributed to the development of the National Action Plan (NAP) to end violence against Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex and Asexual (2SLGBTQQIA+) people.

The urban framework of the National Action Plan is entitled, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action Plan | Urban Path to Reclaiming Power and Place, Regardless of Residency. The framework includes a call to recognize urban Indigenous legitimacy, outlines urban realities, provides a definition of urban Indigenous people, and outlining urban perspectives on the baskets of rights: Culture, Health and Wellness, Safety and Human Security, and Justice.

“This work has been going on for a long time. It started on the streets, rallies, and awareness raising from the people, families and communities experiencing the violence first hand” said Jocelyn Formsma, NAFC executive director, “This action plan calls on all of us to find our role and advance the work until our country is safe for Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGTBQQIA+ people.”

The NAFC is prepared to do our part to implement the actions outlined in the NAP and the Urban Path, but we cannot do it alone. We will continue push governments and work with partners across sectors to build momentum, implement our own Friendship Centre framework, and build on the long history and expertise of Friendship Centres to provide holistic results.

FOR MORE ON THE REPORT:
 
Link to the National Action Plan: https://mmiwg2splusnationalactionplan.ca/
Link to the National Family and Survivors Circle: https://familysurvivorscircle.ca/
Link to the Urban Path to Reclaiming Power and Place, regardless of residency: https://mmiwg2splusnationalactionplan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/NAP-Urban-Framework_EN.pdf

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Mike Bleskie
Communications Officer
communications@nafc.ca 

The NAFC represents over 100 local Friendship Centres and Provincial/Territorial Associations in every province and territory in Canada (except Prince Edward Island). Friendship Centres are urban Indigenous community hubs that provide a wide range of programs and services for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people living in urban, rural, and northern communities. Collectively, Friendship Centres are the largest and most comprehensive urban Indigenous service delivery network in Canada.