On May 5, several hundred people gathered at Cabot Square in downtown Montreal for the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2ST+). The annual event is part of a broader national movement to honour the lives lost and call attention to the systemic violence that continues to affect Indigenous communities.

The gathering was organized by Projet Iskweu, an initiative of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal (Foyer pour femmes autochtones de Montréal). It featured a series of speakers who shared personal testimonies of grief and resilience, many recounting the loss of a daughter, sister, mother, or friend. Others spoke to their own experiences as survivors and called on attendees to recognize that everyone has a role to play in ending the violence.

According to Statistics Canada and speakers at the event, the homicide rate for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit women and girls is nearly ten times higher than for their non-Indigenous counterparts. Despite the severity of the crisis, progress remains slow. Of the 231 Calls for Justice issued by the National Inquiry into MMIWG2S in 2019, only two have been fully and officially implemented to date.

Speakers stressed that the violence is rooted in colonialism, racism, and ongoing systemic neglect. They urged governments, institutions, and the public to move beyond symbolic gestures and toward real, sustained change. The event served not only as a memorial, but also as a call to action, demanding justice, accountability, and safety for Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people across the country.