For Penny Constant, May 5 is about creating change.
Constant is the associate director of health and socials for the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC). She’s also responsible for organizing the PAGC’s Red Dress Day event on May 5. The events are held across Canada every year to raise awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people, and to advocate on behalf of the victims and their families.
“It’s up to us to continue, as an organization, bringing education and awareness so that we can hopefully … get this into the communities and continue to create awareness as our population grows with our younger people,” Constant said during an interview on Friday.
“We want to create the awareness within the community of Prince Albert and branch out further. This continues to be a national crisis.”
The PAGC has set aside an entire day of speakers, presentations, and activities on May 5. The event begins at 10 a.m. at the PAGC Cultural Centre on Ninth Avenue West and continues until 4 p.m.
Constant said the list of speakers includes Saskatchewan RCMP Commanding Officer Rhonda Blackmore. The event is open to everyone.
“This issue doesn’t just impact (the PAGC), so it’s not targeted to just PAGC communities,” she explained. “It’s open to everyone, so we want to create wide areas of awareness…. We want to help the families and the communities who have been impacted by this crisis.”
The issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women is personal for Constant. Roughly 15 years ago, her niece was murdered in Edmonton. The case has not yet been solved.
Ideally, Constant would like to see more help offered to family and friends of women and girls who have been murdered or gone missing. She said the PAGC hosts a weekly support group for families through the grief, but more help would be welcome.
Constant said the PAGC is an important voice, and many families rely on the organization to create awareness about their missing or murdered loved ones.
She also said the PAGC tries to provide more education and information to young woman who might be targeted. Constant said that can be challenging since the organization doesn’t want woman to be afraid or ashamed of who they are. The goal, she said, is to be proactive.
“We’re not looking for pity. We’re not looking for sympathy, because our resiliency has brought us this far. We’re resilient, and we want to change the history of Indigenous women and two-spirited people,” she explained.
Constant said PAGC leaders often discuss different ways they can bring positive change. That’s what inspired them to hold this year’s Red Dress Day event.
Ideally, she’d like residents to receive more information about the process of reporting a missing person. She said there are too many people who mistakenly believe you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing.
“A lot of times people are in panic mode and they don’t know how to reach out,” she said.
Moving forward, Constant said she’d like to see more people made aware of the Calls to Action so residents can start working together to address the issue.
“We talk about reconciliation and how do we move forward together in a way that is healthy for everybody, because you know what? Nobody is going away. We’re all going to be here.”
The federal government released the 2023-24 Federal Pathway Annual Progress Report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited and Gender Diverse People in June 2024. The report showed those groups were 12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered compared to non-Indigenous women.
The report showed federal funding was supporting 47 emergency shelters and 380 housing units in Indigenous communities. The report also showed the government had helped complete 52 projects to improve community safety and well-being like the Red Eagle Lodge in Saskatoon.
In Saskatchewan, the provincial government has provided $800,000 in grant funding through the MMIWG+ Community Response Fund. Applications are currently being accepted. The form can be found at Saskatchewan.ca.
“On Red Dress Day, we stand alongside the families and communities impacted by interpersonal violence against Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit+ people,” Minister Responsible for First Nations Métis and Northern Affairs Eric Schmalz said in a press release. “Our government is working toward a safer future for all by providing funding opportunities to organizations and grassroots initiatives that empower awareness and safety in Indigenous communities.”
The province also plans to invest $31.7 million into interpersonal violence programs and services through the Ministry of Justice, as well as $3.8 million over the next two years to enhance interpersonal violence programming and support.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
