Indigenous activists urge Ottawa to act

Crown-Indigenous relations minister says his government is failing to protect women and girls

The arrest of a man accused of killing four women, all believed to be Indigenous, shows vulnerable women and girls are subject to dangerous outcomes if governments don’t work together to end gender and race-based violence, Indigenous advocates say.

Several Indigenous groups are urging governments and other institutions in power to fulfil the 231 Calls for Justice outlined in the final report from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, released in 2019.

“The political will of all levels of government is required to end this ongoing genocide,” the National Family and Survivors Circle said in a statement Friday.

The group said Indigenous women are disproportionate victims of violence in Canada due to “unchecked racism and misogyny.”

Winnipeg police on Thursday charged Jeremy Skibicki, 35, with first-degree murder in the deaths of Morgan Harris, 39; Marcedes Myran, 26; and an unidentified woman. Their bodies have not been found.

Skibicki was arrested and charged May 18 with first-degree murder in the death of Rebecca Contois, 24. Her partial remains were found in a garbage bin near an apartment building and police later found the rest of her remains in a Winnipeg landfill.

Contois, Harris and Myran are First Nations and police said they believe the fourth victim is Indigenous as well.

Skibicki appeared briefly in court Friday, his head shaved and sporting a long beard. He kept his gaze forward as he walked by some family members and their supporters in the courtroom. Skibicki said “correct” when the judge said his name and asked him confirm his identity.

Skibicki did not enter a plea, but his lawyer said he maintains his innocence and a trial is likely some time away.

The Crown is proceeding by direct indictment, which means there will be no preliminary hearing. Skibicki remains in jail.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said the federal government is failing in its responsibility to protect Indigenous women and girls, despite allocating money toward the issue.

Miller said he was shocked to learn Winnipeg police charged Skibicki with killing the four women.

“It’s a legacy of a devastating history that has reverberations today,” he said.

“No one can stand in front of you with confidence to say that this won’t happen again, and I think that’s kind of shameful.”

Winnipeg police on Thursday charged Jeremy Skibicki with first-degree murder in the deaths of three Indigenous women