Horizontal initiative: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People

General Information

Lead department: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC)

Federal partner organizations: Canadian Heritage (PCH), Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), Public Safety (PS), Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), Department of Justice (JUS), Libraries and Archives Canada (LAC), Health Canada (HC), Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Transport Canada (TC), Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Statistics Canada (StatCan)

Start date: 2021

End date: 2028

Description: In 2016, in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and the decades long advocacy from families and survivors, the Government of Canada launched the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (2SLGBTQQIA+) people. This inquiry included all provinces and territories and the federal government. It brought together Indigenous leaders, families and survivors, communities, knowledge keepers, experts and institutions from across the country to study and discuss the underlying social, economic, cultural, institutional, systemic and historical causes, policies and practices for the ongoing violence towards Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+. The work of the National Inquiry ended in June 2019 with the release of Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The report contains 231 Calls for Justice calling upon various organizations to take action to end the causes of this violence, including a call for the Government of Canada, provincial, territorial, Indigenous and municipal governments, and Indigenous partners to work together to respond to the issues identified by the Final Report.

On June 3, 2021, the 2021 National Action Plan: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls, And 2SLGBTQQIA+ People was released. As one component of the national action plan, the Government of Canada developed the Federal Pathway, a set of commitments for federal departments and agencies to support systemic change to address the tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. Through investments contained in the Fall Economic Statement 2020, as well as in Budget 2021, federal departments and agencies are working together to address gender and race-based violence. Through this work, and that of partners, we look to fulfill a shared vision, as elaborated in the 2021 National Action Plan:

We envision a transformed Canada where Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, wherever they are, live free from violence, and are celebrated, honoured, respected, valued, treated equitably, safe, and secure.

This horizontal initiative is a whole-of-government approach to reporting on common goals and measuring related outcomes. It is complementary to, and in alignment with, the outcomes published in the context of the Federal Pathway Annual Progress Report, which provides both qualitative and quantitative information related to these outcomes that will be expanded in future years.

Governance structures: The Horizontal Initiative Results Framework on MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People will be reported in the Departmental Plan and Departmental Results Report of the lead department (CIRNAC) and will be implemented through the existing horizontal governance structures, such as but not limited to thematic interdepartmental results working groups, the Director-General (DG) Steering Committee and the Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) Oversight Committee. The ADM Oversight Committee will ensure horizontal results monitoring, reporting, and assessment, including the collection of consistent data.

CIRNAC, through the leadership of the MMIWG Secretariat, will continue to be the lead department and convener for working-level groups, as well as these committees. Participating departments and agencies will provide information on their relevant departmental activities as required by the Oversight Committee to implement their respective activities connected to the horizontal initiative. Further, participating government departments and agencies through interdepartmental results working groups and the DG Steering and ADM Oversight Committees, will work collaboratively to ensure the development of results and resource frameworks, collect and consolidate data, monitor performance indicators, manage risks and mitigation strategies and communicate results throughout the lifecycle of the horizontal initiative.

Total federal funding allocated (start to end date): To be added as initiatives are confirmed

Total federal planned spending to date: To be added as initiatives are confirmed

Total federal actual spending to date: To be added as initiatives are confirmed

Date of last renewal of the horizontal initiative: Not applicable

Total federal funding allocated at the last renewal and source of funding: Not applicable

Additional federal funding received after the last renewal: Not applicable

Total planned spending since the last renewal: Not applicable

Total actual spending since the last renewal: Not applicable

Fiscal year of planned completion of next evaluation: Not applicable

Performance highlights: CIRNAC worked with partner departments and agencies in the confirmation of the horizontal initiative results framework, including the completion of overall shared outcome(s), thematic shared outcome(s), and scoping of included initiatives.