Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People

General Information
Strategic Outcomes and Funding
- Planning highlights
- Planning information
Evaluations
Legacy Data

General Information

Name of horizontal initiative: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People

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

Federal partner departments: Canadian Heritage (PCH), Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), Public Safety (PS), 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)^{Footnote 1}

Start date of the horizontal initiative: 2021

End date of the horizontal initiative: 2028

Description of the horizontal initiative: 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, and intersex (2SLGBTQI+) 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 2SLGBTQI+ people. 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 in the Final Report.

On June 3, 2021, the 2021 National Action Plan: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+^{Footnote 2} People was released. As part of the National Action Plan, the Government of Canada developed the Federal Pathway, which outlines 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 2SLGBTQI+ 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.

Total federal funding allocated (from start to end date) (dollars):
Federal organizations	Total federal funding allocated (from start to end date)
CIRNAC	$1,506,624,828 (2021–2026) and $11,056,000 ongoing
PCH	$329,400,000 (2021–2026) and $17,900,000 ongoing
ISC	$6,248,309,446 (2021–2028) and $410,154,369 ongoing
PS^{Table note a}	$771,586,779 (2021–2028) and $144,972,285 ongoing
JUS	$114,533,561 (2021–2026) and $9,660,000 ongoing
LAC	$14,934,856 (2021–2025)
HC	$14,941,632 (2021–2024)
CMHC	$3,653,600,000 (2021–2028)
TC	$231,809,257 (2021–2028)
PPSC	$23,462,360 (2021–2024)
RCMP	$75,000,000 (2021–2026)^{Table note b}
Table note a The First Nations and Inuit Policing Facilities Program (FNIPFP) received $50,852,699 in additional funding over 2 years (2026–27 and 2027–28), with no ongoing funding. Return to table note a referrer Table note b Funding was provided to the RCMP in Budget 2021 for initiatives related to "Addressing Systemic Racism (ASR)". One such initiative is to establish and implement an anti-racism training curriculum, which forms part of the RCMP's Intercultural Learning Strategy. As a result, only a small portion ($4,361,780) of the $75,000,000 over 5 years will directly address Indigenous learning and cultures. Return to table note b referrer

Strategic Outcomes and Funding

Planning highlights

Theme A: Culture

PCH: The Indigenous Screen Office will continue to receive ongoing support following Budget 2024, which renewed $13M per year beginning in 2024–25. This funding enables Canadian Heritage to support Indigenous-led storytelling, strengthen Indigenous narrative sovereignty, and contribute to the authentic representation of Indigenous peoples on screen. It will also allow audiences to discover and enjoy Indigenous audiovisual content, fostering greater awareness and appreciation of Indigenous cultures, stories, and perspectives. Canadian Heritage's Indigenous Languages Component will continue to support the efforts of Indigenous communities and organizations in revitalizing their languages through community-based projects, including immersion programs and the development of language resources. This includes $2M per year in ongoing funding provided as part of this initiative.

Theme B: Health and wellness

ISC: In 2026–27, Addressing Anti-Indigenous Racism in Canada's Health Systems funding will continue to be distributed to partners to support the implementation of Indigenous-led initiatives aimed at increasing Indigenous representation in health professions, as well as the hiring and retention of Indigenous patient advocates, health system navigators, midwives, and birth support workers. These initiatives support the advancement of Indigenous health human resources, improve access to culturally safe health services for Indigenous patients, provide recourse where anti-Indigenous racism has occurred, and align with the implementation of Joyce's Principle.

CIRNAC: A national Call for Proposal for the Wellbeing of Families and Survivors of MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People Contribution Program is anticipated to launch in 2026–27 to support healing and commemoration projects beginning in 2027–28. Successful healing and commemoration projects identified through the 2024 Call for Proposals process will continue to be funded by CIRNAC in 2026–27.

PCH: In 2026–27, the Stream Three component of the Sport for Social Development in Indigenous Communities (SSDIC) program will continue to focus on supporting Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ peoples by addressing community-identified needs through sport, recreation, and physical activity, with $2.9M in ongoing funding.

Theme C: Human safety and security

ISC: As a direct result of the Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy, ISC will continue to work with CMHC on the Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative throughout 2026–27 and will provide the necessary supports to ensure the continued viability of selected projects. Those selected by the Indigenous and Inuit Selection and Steering Committees will have until March 2027 (or the date agreed upon with CMHC) to complete construction in compliance with the initiative's timelines. ISC's Family Violence Prevention Program will continue to provide pre-development and start-up funding, as well as ongoing operational funding once construction is completed. The program will also work closely with the National Indigenous Circle Against Family Violence to ensure proponents have the necessary mentorship and training to facilitate effective programming and operations. In addition, the program will continue to work closely with its regional partners to ensure a holistic approach in supporting each project during construction and operations.

With regard to elementary and secondary education funding, interim regional funding formulas were refined and adjusted during the 2021–22 fiscal year to incorporate the funding and priorities announced in Budget 2021. Provincially comparable approaches were replicated for student transportation funding. A national approach for funding stabilization to ensure stable and predictable funding was also implemented for First Nation schools, ensuring any decrease is capped at 1.5%. The interim regional funding formulas will continue to be refined in partnership with First Nations within a framework of provincial comparability as a base, with flexibility for regional variability. These refinements are based on updated First Nations data and reflect the ongoing co-developed efforts of First Nations and the Government of Canada to better meet the actual costs of supporting elementary and secondary education on reserve.

Funding for before- and after-school programming for First Nations students on reserve has been provided to First Nations partners through existing mechanisms, including regional funding formulas and agreements with self-governing and modern treaty partners (subject to the provisions of their agreements). Engagement with First Nations partners through regional offices in year 1 helped inform the implementation approach for year 2, which resulted in an expansion of the programming scope. When first implemented in 2020–21, funding for before- and after-school programming covered only First Nations students ordinarily resident on reserve who attended a First Nation-administered school on reserve; however, since 2022–23, the scope has been expanded to also include First Nations students ordinarily resident on reserve who attend a provincial or private school off reserve. Ongoing engagement with partners will continue to help inform future years.

PS: The department is supporting MMIWG and 2SLGBTQI+ people through close coordination with other federal departments and implementation of initiatives to support culturally responsive policing and community safety planning in Indigenous communities. In 2026–27, PS will continue engaging Indigenous communities to develop and implement Community Safety Plans through the Aboriginal Community Safety Planning Initiative, while the Northern and Indigenous Crime Prevention Fund will continue supporting the implementation and evaluation of innovative, culturally sensitive crime prevention practices.

CHMC: In 2026–27, CMHC will continue supporting programs that provide housing assistance to those in need. Priority population groups include women and their children, 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, and Indigenous and Northern communities. New and repaired housing units, shelters, and transitional homes will continue operating to support safety and security. The National Housing Strategy has a 25% target of all committed funding going towards meeting the needs of women and their children. To date, this target has been surpassed.

TC: In 2026–27, the department will allocate $45.4M to remote passenger rail operators to maintain sufficient financial capacity for delivering safe, reliable rail services between Sept-Îles and Schefferville (Quebec), The Pas and Pukatawagan (Manitoba), and The Pas and Churchill (Manitoba). This funding contributes to the horizontal MMIWG initiative by sustaining safe, affordable ground transportation options that reduce reliance on unsafe modes and enhance mobility and security for Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people in remote communities.

Theme D: Justice

JUS: The department will continue supporting the development and delivery of Gladue reports across Canada. Gladue Aftercare services will also continue to be delivered by Indigenous Justice Program Gladue Aftercare recipients, including serving a number of Indigenous client specific courts.

PS: In 2026–27, PS will continue to work with First Nations and Inuit communities, as well as provincial and territorial governments, to strengthen the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program and the First Nations and Inuit Policing Facilities Program.

ISC: The department will continue to address sex-based inequities in the Indian Act through the implementation of former Bill S-3, which contributes to Call for Justice 1.2v by ensuring women and their descendants (of all genders) are entitled to be registered and able to seek band membership. The objective is to process applications within its 6-month service standard, allowing individuals to access programs and services associated with registration and band membership.

Theme E: Capacity building and coordination

CIRNAC: In 2026–27, through the Indigenous-Led Data Research Projects Program, CIRNAC will continue to fund MMIWG and 2SLGBTQI+ data-related projects.

Planning information

Horizontal initiative overview

Name of horizontal initiative: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People

Total federal funding allocated: $13,094,359,049

Planned spending to date: $12,096,243,857

Actual spending to date: $12,188,821,852

2026–27 planned spending: $810,893,398


Horizontal initiative shared outcome	Performance indicator	Target	Date to achieve target
Violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people is reduced	Homicide rate per 100,000 for Indigenous women	Lower than 5.07 per 100,000 people	March 31, 2028
	Comparative rate in homicide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women	Lower than the 6.5 ratio^{Table note a}	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of Indigenous women who report being physically or sexually assaulted before the age of 15	Lower than: First Nations women: 41.1% Métis women: 47.3% Inuit women: 56.3%	March 31, 2028
	Comparative rate of childhood violent victimization between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women	Lower than the following ratios^{Table note b}: First Nations: 1.62 times Métis: 1.86 times Inuit: 2.22 times	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ people who report experiences of gender-based violence	Lower than: Physical assault – 72.7% Sexual assault – 65.2%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of Indigenous women and girls who self-reported being physically and sexually assaulted	Lower than 62.7%	March 31, 2028
	Comparative difference between percent of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women and girls who self-reported being physically or sexually assaulted	Lower than the 1.4 ratio^{Table note c}	March 31, 2028
Table note a Indigenous women are 6.5 times more likely to be victims of homicide than non-Indigenous women. Return to table note a referrer Table note b Indigenous women are more likely to experience childhood violent victimization than non-Indigenous women in the following ratios: First Nations women (1.62 times more likely), Inuit women (1.86 times more likely), and Métis women (2.22 times more likely). Return to table note b referrer Table note c Indigenous women and girls are 1.4 times more likely to self-report being physically or sexually assaulted than non-Indigenous women and girls. Return to table note c referrer

Shared Outcomes


Name of theme	Theme A Culture	Theme B Health and wellness	Theme C Human safety and security	Theme D Justice	Theme E Capacity building and coordination	Internal services
Theme outcome(s)	Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people demonstrate connection to their language and culture People living in Canada have an increased appreciation of Indigenous cultures	Indigenous people's health experiences, inclusive of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people, are improved Health and wellbeing outcomes for Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people are improved	Socioeconomic factors contributing to violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people are mitigated The safety of communities in which Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people live is improved	Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people have increased access to justice Systemic racism against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people in the justice system is reduced	The capacity of Indigenous and federal organizations to address Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people's needs is improved	Not applicable
CIRNAC	$108,775,870	$1,309,923,650 and $2,500,000 ongoing	Not applicable	$25,670,380	$62,254,929 and $8,556,000 ongoing	$9,877,293 and $114,723 ongoing
PCH	$315,100,000 and $15,000,000 ongoing	$14,300,000 and $2,900,000 ongoing	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	$589,767
ISC	Not applicable	$4,362,246,840	$1,705,355,186 and $396,600,000 ongoing	$109,727,383 and $9,644,248 ongoing	Not applicable	$60,596,867 and $3,910,121 ongoing
PS	Not applicable	Not applicable	$60,127,348 and $17,551,599 ongoing	$650,617,917 and $126,162,460 ongoing and additional funding of $50,141,054 over 2 years (2026–27 and 2027–28)	Not applicable	$9,988,816 and $1,258,226 ongoing and additional funding of $711,645 over 2 years (2026–27 and 2027–28)
JUS	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	$114,533,561 and $9,660,000 ongoing	Not applicable	$2,029,326
LAC	$14,934,856	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable^{Table note a}
HC	Not applicable	$14,827,723	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	$113,909
CMHC	Not applicable	Not applicable	$5,221,023,460^{Table note b}	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable^{Table note a}
TC	Not applicable	Not applicable	$231,809,257	Not applicable	Not applicable	$215,958
PPSC	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	$21,090,164	Not applicable	$2,372,196
RCMP	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	$75,000,000^{Table note c}	Not applicable	Not applicable
Table note a Internal services costs are included in the total under the Theme. Return to table note a referrer Table note b Total federal planned spending to date has been adjusted to include the impact of lapsed funding that has been reprofiled to future years. Total planned spending to date is greater than the Total federal funding allocated (from start to end date) due to the fact that CMHC does not track the spending on the advancement of MMIWG funding separately from overall program spending. The total planned spending amount represents overall program spending and therefore overstates the amount supporting the intended beneficiaries of the MMIWG initiative. Return to table note b referrer Table note c Funding was provided to the RCMP in Budget 2021 for initiatives related to "Addressing Systemic Racism (ASR)". One such initiative is to establish and implement an anti-racism training curriculum, which forms part of the RCMP's Intercultural Learning Strategy. As a result, only a small portion ($4,361,780) of the $75,000,000 over 5 years will directly address Indigenous learning and cultures. Return to table note c referrer

Theme horizontal initiative activities

Total spending, all themes
Themes	Total federal funding allocated	2026–27 total federal planned spending
Theme A: Culture	$438,810,726 and $15,000,000 ongoing^{Table note a}	$0^{Table note a}
Theme B: Health and wellness	$5,916,154,542 and $5,400,000 ongoing	$38,954,859
Theme C: Human safety and security	$5,619,033,916 and $414,100,000 ongoing	$553,131,078
Theme D: Justice	$1,058,104,936 and $146,104,248 ongoing	$207,059,345
Theme E: Capacity building and coordination	$62,254,929 and $8,556,000 ongoing	$11,748,116
Total, all themes	$13,094,359,049 and $589,160,248 ongoing	$810,893,398
Table note a Ongoing amounts disbursed through regular PCH operations are excluded, as they have been determined to fall outside the scope of this horizontal initiative. Return to table note a referrer

Theme A details: Culture
Theme outcome(s)	Theme performance indicator(s)	Theme target(s)	Date to achieve theme target
Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people demonstrate connection to their language and culture	Percentage of Indigenous women and girls who agree or strongly agree with the statement "I have a deep sense of belonging to my [First Nations/Métis/Inuit/Aboriginal] group"	Higher than: First Nations: 64.3% Métis: 47.2% Inuit: 84.3%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of Indigenous women and girls who agree or strongly agree with the statement "I am active in [First Nations/Métis/Inuit/Aboriginal] organizations, social events or cultural activities"	Higher than: First Nations: 43.5% Métis: 24% Inuit: 57.8%	March 31, 2028
People living in Canada have an increased appreciation of Indigenous cultures	Percentage of respondents who think the art and culture of Indigenous people (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) is somewhat important or very important national symbol of Canadian identity	Higher than 82%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of respondents who feel that respect for Indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) culture is a Canadian shared value	Higher than 64%	March 31, 2028

Theme B details: Health and wellness
Theme outcome(s)	Theme performance indicator(s)	Theme target(s)	Date to achieve theme target
Indigenous people's health experiences, inclusive of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people, are improved	Percentage of First Nations women on reserve who rate the quality of health care services delivered in their community as good or excellent	57%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of First Nations (on reserve) women (18+) who did not receive all the health care that they required in the past 12 months	12%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of First Nations (off reserve) women (18+) who had an unmet health care need in the past 12 months	20%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of Inuit in Inuit Nunangat women (18+) who had an unmet health care need in the past 12 months	22%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of Métis women (18+) who had an unmet health care need in the past 12 months	19%	March 31, 2028
Health and wellbeing outcomes for Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people are improved	Percentage of Indigenous women who reported "excellent" or "very good" mental health	First Nations (on reserve): 55% First Nations (off reserve): 53% Inuit in Inuit Nunangat: 50% Métis: 58%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of Indigenous women who reported being in very good or excellent health	First Nations (on reserve): 44% First Nations (off reserve): 49% Inuit in Inuit Nunangat: 44% Métis: 55%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of family members and survivors who report perceived improvements in wellbeing	80%	March 31, 2028

Theme C details: Human safety and security
Theme outcome(s)	Theme performance indicator(s)	Theme target(s)	Date to achieve theme target
Socioeconomic factors contributing to violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people are mitigated	Percentage of Indigenous communities with an improved community well-being index score	Higher than 85%	March 31, 2028
	Median community well-being index score for Indigenous communities	Higher than 81	March 31, 2028
	Number of short-term and long-term Indigenous shelters for victims of abuse	Higher than: Short term: 87 Long term: 7	March 31, 2028
	Number of spaces available in Indigenous short-term and long-term shelters for victims of abuse	Higher than: Short term: 1123 Long term: 65	March 31, 2028
	Number of short-term and long-term shelters for victims of abuse in cities with a significant Indigenous population	Higher than: Short term: 52 Long term: 66	March 31, 2028
	Number of spaces available in short-term and long-term shelters for victims of abuse in cities with a significant Indigenous population	Higher than: Short term: 1087 Long term: 972	March 31, 2028
	Police reported crime rate in cities with a significant Indigenous population	Lower than 1124.2	March 31, 2028
The safety of communities in which Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people live is improved	Percentage of cities with a significant Indigenous population with a reduced crime severity index score	Higher than 45%	March 31, 2028
	Median crime severity index score for cities with significant Indigenous population	Lower than 132.2	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of Indigenous women and girls who report that they feel somewhat safe or very safe from crime when walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark	Higher than: First Nations women: 90% Métis women: 72% Inuit women: 81%	March 31, 2028

Theme D details: Justice
Theme outcome(s)	Theme performance indicator(s)	Theme target(s)	Date to achieve theme target
Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people have increased access to justice	Percentage of Indigenous people who have confidence that the Canadian youth criminal justice system is accessible	Higher than: First Nations: 28% Inuit: 31% Métis: 28% Multiple Indigenous identities: 30%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of Indigenous people who have confidence that the Canadian criminal justice system is accessible to all people	Higher than: First Nations: 22% Inuit: 27% Métis: 22% Multiple Indigenous identities: 21%	March 31, 2028
Systemic racism against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people in the justice system is reduced	Percentage of Indigenous women who have a great deal or some confidence in police	Higher than: First Nations women: 80.1% Métis women: 86.4% Inuit women: 68.9%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of Indigenous women who have a great deal or some confidence in criminal courts	Higher than: First Nations women: 54.5% Métis women: 57.0% Inuit women: 36.2%	March 31, 2028

Theme E details: Capacity building and coordination
Theme outcome(s)	Theme performance indicator(s)	Theme target(s)	Date to achieve theme target
The capacity of Indigenous and federal organizations to address Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people's needs is improved	Number of federal departments and agencies pursuing initiatives and programs to address the issues of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people	20	March 31, 2027

Evaluations

Fiscal year of planned completion of next evaluation: No evaluation is currently planned.

Legacy Data

Date of last renewal of the horizontal initiative: Not applicable

Total federal funding allocated at the last renewal, and source of funding (dollars): Not applicable

Additional federal funding received after the last renewal (dollars): Not applicable

Total planned spending since last renewal: Not applicable

Total actual spending since last renewal: Not applicable

Did you find what you were looking for?

What was wrong?

I can't find the information

The information is hard to understand

There was an error or something didn't work

Other reason

Please provide more details

You will not receive a reply. Don't include personal information (telephone, email, SIN, financial, medical, or work details).
Maximum 300 characters

Date modified:: 2026-03-13