2023-24 Federal Pathway Annual Progress Report: Main Report

Addressing the immediate safety needs of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people remains the most urgent and pressing priority for the Government of Canada and Indigenous partners alike. As a result, the federal government is working to implement several Federal Pathwayinitiatives in addition to new investments related to violence prevention and community safety that directly respond to Calls for Justice 1.5, 1.6, 3.4, 3.5, 5.4, 5.5 (iv).

Indigenous partners, families, and survivors have expressed the need for a Red Dress Alert that would notify the public when an Indigenous woman, girl, or 2SLGBTQI+ goes missing. Such an alert would request the assistance of the public in locating the missing Indigenous woman, girl or 2SLGBTQI+ person quickly and to help ensure that they are located safe in a timely way.

In May 2023, the House of Commons unanimously backed a motion to declare the deaths and disappearances of Indigenous women and girls a Canada-wide emergency and called on the federal government to fund a Red Dress Alert.

To this effect, the federal government has been working with federal departments, provinces and territories and Indigenous partners to understand how we can work toward the implementation of a Red Dress Alert system. As a first step towards creating a Red Dress Alert, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada developed an engagement paper in collaboration with Public Safety and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to form the basis for pre-engagement discussions with Indigenous partners. In December 2023 and January 2024, 16 pre-engagement sessions solicited preliminary feedback on the Red Dress Alert from over 150 representatives from national and regional First Nations, Métis and Inuit partners, Indigenous women's and 2SLGBTQI+ groups, urban Indigenous partners, Indigenous grassroots organizations, first responders, First Nations police services, and Indigenous service providers across the country.

This work also aligns with investments announced in Budget 2023, which provided $2.5 million over five years to establish a permanent National Indigenous-Federal-Provincial-Territorial Roundtable on MMIWG and 2SLGBTQI+ people, with a focus on a Red Dress Alert. Indeed, the results of the pre-engagement sessions were presented at the second National Indigenous-Federal-Provincial-Territorial Roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ Persons, on February 7-8, 2024. The Roundtable, which addresses Calls for Justice 1.5 and 1.6, was attended by 100 in-person and 130 virtual participants, including 72 National and regional Indigenous organizations representing First Nations, Inuit, Métis, Urban and 2SLGBTQI+ people, Overall, discussions during the engagement sessions and at the Roundtable demonstrated that there is a need for a critical and immediate response to the national emergency and a general support for a Red Dress Alert. Indigenous partners have expressed a desire to put an alert in place as soon as possible while still ensuring families and survivors and other Indigenous partners are part of its development and implementation.

Looking forward, the Government of Canada is prioritizing a Red Dress Alert that will help safely locate Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people when they go missing. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada continues to work closely with implicated federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners to identify resources needed and is exploring options with partners to pilot a Red Dress Alert. Ahead of Red Dress Day in May 2024, the Government of Canada and Government of Manitoba announced a partnership to develop a Red Dress Alert together with Indigenous partners.

In response to Calls for Justice 3.4, 3.5 and 5.5iv, the Aboriginal Community Safety Planning Initiative (ACSPI), led by Public Safety, continued to support the ongoing implementation of eight safety projects in Indigenous communities across Canada this year. These projects provide a holistic range of supports from community-led safety planning through to project design, implementation, and evaluation. For example, in the past year, two First Nations communities in Saskatchewan and Alberta have entered into agreements with the aim of:

• Facilitating a joint tribal council engagement to develop a comprehensive safety strategy for nine affiliated communities that will provide a forum for individuals, agencies, organizations, community Elders and knowledge keepers to discuss perspectives and solutions regarding crime prevention and community safety; and,
• Building capacity to establish safety within their communities by organizing various workshops and activities surrounding historical identity, youth empowerment, family ancestry, and community physical safety concerns.

Further, in September 2023, the ACSPI hosted 18 communities at a virtual gathering where approximately 47 participants were able to share best practices and success stories. A second virtual gathering took place in January 2024 centered around the topic of engaging youth in community safety planning with 56 participants representing Indigenous communities and organizations across Canada. In March 2024 an in-person gathering occurred for targeted, localized community engagement in British Columbia which was attended by 58 participants over three days from British Columbia and the Yukon.

In September 2023, the Aboriginal Community Safety Planning Initiative hosted 18 communities at a virtual gathering where approximately 47 participants were able to share best practices and success stories. A second virtual gathering took place in January 2024 centered around the topic of engaging youth in community safety planning with 56 participants representing Indigenous communities and organizations across Canada. In March 2024 an in-person gathering occurred for targeted, localized community engagement in British Columbia which was attended by 58 participants over three days from British Columbia and the Yukon.

Similarly, in response to Indigenous partners' requests for self-determined community safety solutions the Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative funds First Nations (both on and off-reserve), Inuit and Métis communities to implement Indigenous designed programs, interventions, and services that improve community safety and well-being based on Indigenous definitions of safe, secure and resilient communities. This initiative, which responds to Call for Justice 5.4, allows for greater community control, innovation and alternative approaches that recognize the importance of traditional knowledge and practices, as well as a role for professionals, other than law enforcement, in contributing to greater community safety and well-being. It also specifically supports programs, services and interventions that address existing and emerging needs relating to the safety and well-being of Indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People.

In 2023-24, the Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative provided $28 million in funding to 52 community safety and well-being projects, including 37 First Nations organizations, five Inuit organizations, two Métis organizations, and eight urban Indigenous organizations.

Some examples of projects that received funding this year continued to support:

• The First Nations Justice Council of British Columbia to work with the Province of British Columbia and other relevant partners to develop an Indigenous Women's Justice Plan to improve Indigenous women's experiences with the justice system in British Columbia.
• Tungasuvvingat Inuit to develop a support group for self-identifying LGBTQ+ Inuit living in Ontario that provides biweekly virtual cultural workshops, in-person community gatherings, a private peer support page on social media, and service navigation assistance.
• The Métis Nation of Ontario to increase the capacity of their Community Wellbeing Branch, which offers Anti-Human Trafficking and Victim Service programs as well as delivering culturally relevant and holistic services. The programs focuses on women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ persons at risk of violence, abuse, criminal justice involvement, trafficking and other harms.
• The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Women's Commission to provide services to First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and Urban Indigenous people to create a safe and secure space and cultural programming for women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. The services focus on healing from trauma and intergenerational trauma, traditional parenting, addiction, family reunification and resources that would support women facing gender-based and colonial violence.

Addressing violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people requires immediate violence prevention initiatives and community safety programs. Through initiatives in the Federal Pathway, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Public Safety, and Indigenous Services Canada have led the federal government's work on short-term violence prevention. In 2023-24, these departments accelerated their work on the establishment of a Red Dress Alert, development of community safety plans, and funding for Indigenous-led safety programs. Through these investments, the federal government continues to affirm its commitment to preventing violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

For decades, families and survivors of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people have fought to have their voices heard. It is through their leadership that the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people received national attention, resulting in the establishment of the National Inquiry. This year the federal government continued to ensure that Indigenous-led, trauma-informed, culturally relevant resources are accessible for family members and survivors of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Collectively, the work this year to support families and survivors advanced Calls for Justice 1.6, 3.7, 5.6, 16.29, 17.20 and 17.28, Calls for Miskotahâ 25 and 26 and the second National Action Plan goal.

To support the healing journeys of families and survivors, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada has funded 33 projects to date through the Support for the Wellbeing of Families and Survivors of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People. This initiative directly responds to Calls for Justice 3.7, 5.6 and 17.20, and the second National Action Plan goal which calls for direct supports for families and survivors, by assisting families and survivors with funding to address the trauma of their experiences. In 2023-24, an additional $4 million was allocated for continuing projects and one new project. For example, this funding helped support:

• The Cree Women of Eeyou Istchee to construct a commemorative monument representing missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people at the entrance of the Eeyou Istchee territory to remind community members that their women have not been forgotten and the survivors are not alone;
• Pauktuutit to collaborate with an advisory group comprised of families and survivors, including elders and youth from across Inuit Nunangat and urban cities to develop culturally relevant activities that support Inuit families and survivors; and,
• Métis Central Western Region to work with 24 families over two years in an intensive manner that honours unique cultural, linguistic, and traditional identities.

To help families access information about their missing and murdered loved ones and access Indigenous-led, culturally relevant community-based supports to assist them with the grief and trauma of their loss, this year Justice Canada renewed and increased funding for the Family Information Liaison Units (FILUs) and the Community Support and Healing for Families initiative (CSHF), both of which respond to Calls for Justice 5.6, 16.29 and 17.28. Through Budget 2023, the Government of Canada expanded these programs by providing $37.3 million over five years and $7.75 million on an ongoing basis to the FILUs and $20 million over five years and $4.15 million on an ongoing basis to CSHF. These investments will expand the operations of the Family Information Liaison Units enable them to address gaps in service delivery while remaining active in all 13 provinces and territories, while also expanding the Community Support and Healing for Families Initiative.

Indigenous Services Canada also continued to ensure that Indigenous-led, trauma-informed, culturally relevant services and resources are accessible for family members and survivors of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. These services include the MMIWG Crisis Help Line, the Hope For Wellness Helpline, and the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line, all of which support families and survivors and advance work on Calls for Justice 3.7 and 5.6, Calls for Miskotahâ 25 and 26, and the second National Action Plan goal. Between April 1 and December 31, 2023, these crisis lines responded to over 66,178 calls in total.

The MMIWG Crisis Line (1-844-413-6649) is available free-of-charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in English, French, Cree, Anishnaabemowin (Ojibway) and Inuktitut. The Hope for Wellness Helpline (1-855-242-3310) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with language support upon request for Cree, Ojibway (Anishinaabemowin), and Inuktitut. In addition, the Hope for Wellness Helpline provides 24/7 online chat services. The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line (1-866-925-4419) provides 24-hour crisis support to former Indian Residential School students and their families.

Similarly, in November 2023, the Public Health Agency of Canada launched the 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline to provide people across Canada, including Indigenous communities, with suicide prevention support by phone calls and texts, 24/7, in English and French. Recognizing the priority of addressing the distinct health needs of First Nations, Inuit and Métis, a new 9-8-8 working group focused on Indigenous populations was created in March 2024 to increase cultural competency, by sharing best practices, resources and training with organizations participating in the 9-8-8 network, as well as to determine approaches to onboard additional local and regional Indigenous crisis lines.

Further, on October 25 and 26, 2023, Indigenous Services Canada worked with partners to host the 2023 National Summit on Indigenous Mental Wellness. The summit focused on support for communities in crisis, and Indigenous youth and children, and sought to build on the successes from the 2022 National Summit. Community leaders and service providers from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, tribal councils and organizations were invited to share best practices and new approaches to improving mental wellness services for Indigenous people. Following the 2022 National Summit—the first of its kind—an emphasis was placed on the importance of distinctions-based, Indigenous-led approaches to mental wellness, based in culture and community.

As emphasized by the National Inquiry's Final Report, the National Action Plan, and the National Family and Survivors Circle, the views and perspectives of families and survivors must remain centered in any and all efforts that address violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. The federal government acknowledges this and is committed to providing ongoing support to ensure that families and survivors remain at the heart of government action as partners in the implementation of the Federal Pathway. In 2023-24, the Government of Canada continued to ensure that Indigenous-led, trauma-informed, culturally relevant, resources are accessible for family members and survivors of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

The National Inquiry made it clear that safe, secure, and affordable housing is necessary to prevent and respond to violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. The housing crisis faced by Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people directly affect their health, wellbeing, and physical safety. The Government of Canada has made a commitment to addressing this issue and has made new investments this year that improve the supply of housing, shelters, and transitional homes, all of which work towards advancing Calls for Justice 4.1, 4.6, 4.7, 12.4, 16.1, 16.18, 16.19, 17.20, 17.23 and 18.25.

Through the Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy, the Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative is working to support the construction and operation of new shelters and transitional homes across Canada. In 2023-24, 15 new projects (eight shelters and seven transitional housing) were selected for funding, bringing the total number of selected projects to 47 (25 shelters and 22 transitional housing).

As a part of the National Housing Strategy the Government of Canada allocated $620.9 million in 2023-24, and approximately $100 million for winter emergency responses to unsheltered homelessness, to Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy, which responds to Calls for Justice 4.1, 4.7, 12.4, 16.1, 16.18, 16.19, and 18.25.

The Indigenous Homelessness stream of Reaching Home provides funding for the delivery of culturally specific homelessness programming for Indigenous peoples in 30 urban communities and seven regions across the country. This stream funds off-reserve, non-distinctions-based supports, with the intent that funding be provided to Indigenous organizations located within and outside of urban centers. This year, Reaching Home continued to provide contribution funding to Indigenous homelessness stream partners for a total of $119.3 million. Likewise, as a part of Reaching Home, the distinctions-based approaches stream provided $30.5 million this year to address the specific and unique needs of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals and families at risk of or experiencing homelessness through partnerships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis, including Modern Treaty Holders.

Through Budget 2023, a dedicated investment of $4 billion over seven years starting in 2024-25 was announced for the Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy.

In 2023-24, the National Housing Strategy made commitments to support 2,183 units on reserve, 147 units in the territories, 413 Indigenous units in urban areas and 95 Indigenous units in rural or remote areas. This brings the total commitments made to 14,084 units on reserve, 1,655 units in the territories, 6,869 Indigenous units in urban areas and 1,250 Indigenous units in rural or remote areas.

Further work in progress for funding exclusively for Indigenous and Northern housing include:

• $27.7 million have been committed to support 2,792 urban Indigenous community housing units, including repairs for 1,561 units through the Canada Community Housing Initiative. This includes $1.53 million committed to support 809 urban Indigenous community housing units in 2023-24.

This year, the Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation also supported a range of Indigenous-led engagements to inform the Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy, all which respond to Calls for Justice 4.6, 4.7, 16.19, 17.20 and 17.23. Overall, more than 6,000 individuals participated in the engagement process, through 40 in-person and virtual Indigenous-led engagement sessions, a series of online surveys conducted by four partners, and 14 engagement reports from Indigenous partners, as well as through the online CMHC survey, which gathered almost 1,000 responses and five written submissions. A What we Heard report is expected to be released in Spring 2024.

In December 2023, as part of the Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy, the Government of Canada also announced its intention to launch an open and transparent Request for Proposals in January 2024, for Indigenous partners to be considered to lead the establishment of a National Indigenous Housing Centre. Once selected, the Government of Canada will finalize an agreement with the proponent to establish the National Indigenous Housing Centre. One of the key roles of the National Indigenous Housing Centre will be to provide funding to address core Indigenous housing needs in urban, rural and northern areas. The Government of Canada will also work with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis partners and Modern Treaty Self-Governing Indigenous Governments to co-develop funding agreements to support their citizens, members and beneficiaries living in urban, rural, and northern areas and discuss interim approaches for those who may not be ready.

Overall, in 2023-24 the federal government has made substantial investments to address the housing needs of Indigenous Peoples across the country. Collectively, these initiatives have made significant progress in 2023-24 to select housing projects, distribute funding, and begin and finalize construction on new units. This work will continue in 2024-25 as the federal government works to fulfill its commitments to addressing the housing needs of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people and ultimately reduce the violence they experience.

The National Inquiry's Final Report, Calls for Justice 4.1, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 5.5i and 13.5, and the fourth National Action Plan goal demonstrate that improvements and access to safe and reliable infrastructure and transportation are necessary to prevent violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. To this effect, in 2023-24, the Government of Canada made progress toward increasing access to and improving infrastructure, clean drinking water, transportation and internet connectivity for Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Substantial improvements to infrastructure in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities were made in 2023-24 through the Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund, which responds to Calls for Justice 4.6, 4.7 and 13.5. Specifically in 2023-24, 26 shovel-ready infrastructure projects were funded for First Nations health facilities, treatment centers and Aboriginal Head Start On-Reserve centers. Further, in 2023-24, the Métis component of the Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund continued to support Métis infrastructure projects, which is being distributed to six Métis partners. Examples of this work include:

• The Métis Nation of British Columbia is building multi-use facilities consisting of offices, cultural and community gathering spaces, health and education facilities, as well as housing.
• The Métis Nation of Alberta is constructing a 26-acre development in Edmonton which will include housing, commercial buildings, and community-focused buildings.
• The Métis Settlements General Council in Alberta is replacing bridges and roads and constructing housing in their communities.
• The Métis Nation-Saskatchewan is retrofitting a 4,500 sq. ft. building that will house a regional service hub and constructing a land-based healing centre.
• The Manitoba Métis Federation is building a multi-use/mixed income development that will include housing, health and cultural facilities, commercial spaces, government offices, and programs and services. The funding will also support the renovation of the Michif Manor, which serves as temporary housing in Winnipeg for Métis families.
• The Métis Nation of Ontario is investing two thirds of their infrastructure funding in Kenora for a mixed use development that will provide up to 30 units of affordable housing as well as commercial space for Métis Nation of Ontario programming and a future Early Learning and Childcare Centre.

The Native Women's Association of Canada received funding from Indigenous Services Canada from 2022 to 2024 for their Water Carriers Project. This project seeks to empower Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ people as protectors of the water, and amplify the voices of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ people in their role as water carriers and is rooted in traditional knowledge. As a part of the project, traditional Sharing Circles were held to gather regional perspectives from all thirteen provinces and territories, including data and knowledge on traditional water teachings, information surrounding access to clean water, and grassroots experiences of the diverse impacts of climate change, particularly in relation to water.

A central part of improving infrastructure in Indigenous communities also includes access to clean drinking water, as identified in Call for Justice 4.1. In 2023-24 investments worked toward this goal. For example, the Circuit Rider Training Program led by Indigenous Services Canada provides $24 million annually to First Nations water and wastewater operators with hands on training and 24/7 technical support. This program ensures that First Nations can operate and maintain their water and wastewater infrastructure. As a result of this funding, this year six long-term drinking water advisories were lifted. Initiatives are underway in 26 communities to resolve the remaining 28 long-term drinking water advisories.

In addition to improvements in housing and health infrastructure, several improvements to community owned police facilities were made in 2023-24. Public Safety allocated $108.6 million through Budget 2021 to fund 28 police infrastructure projects, as well as professional assessments of building conditions, in community owned police facilities. This funding supports two facilities in British Columbia and the Yukon, three in the Prairies and Northwest Territories, 15 in Ontario, and eight in Quebec. In 2023-24, part of these funds served to advance activities related to policing infrastructure projects under the First Nations and Inuit Policing Facilities Program, as well as to enter new contribution agreements.

For example, in 2023-24, with this funding, the First Nations community of Lac Simon will build a new police station to replace an existing detachment that does not meet health and safety needs. The new police station will support policing provided pursuant to the self-administered agreement between Canada, Quebec, and the community of Lac Simon. As well, the funding supported the community of Pessamit to build a new police detachment, which has now been inaugurated. This new police detachment supports policing provided pursuant to the self-administered agreement between Canada, Quebec, and the community of Pessamit.

Public Safety also received approval to fund equipment and other one-time needs for the First Nations and Inuit Police Program at a 100% federal contribution. Throughout 2023-24, Public Safety engaged with Indigenous partners to identified equipment and one-time needs to support policing activities. This has led to the signature and coming into force of contribution agreements. For example, in 2023-24, Public Safety entered into a bilateral agreement with the File Hills First Nation Police Service to support expenses related to the new police detachment to improve service delivery for its member Nations and promote safer communities.

Rail also plays an important role in providing a reliable transportation option for many rural and remote communities. This year Transport Canada continued to implement two capacity funding programs: the Community Participation Funding Program – Rail Safety Component (CPFP-RS) and the Program to Enhance Rail Safety Engagement (PERSE). Specifically, during this fiscal, Transport Canada closed the first PERSE call for proposals and signed 11 contribution agreements.

Similarly, on January 30, 2024, Transport Canada hosted a National Rail Forum, bringing together more than 50 Indigenous participants from over 30 communities and organizations from across Canada. The objective of this forum was to build relationships, promote a greater understanding of Transport Canada's role in rail safety and security, and to better understand Indigenous experiences and concerns with rail transportation to guide and inform future dialogue. Generally, participants expressed high levels of interest in continued dialogue, including having community-based sessions for education and awareness related to rail safety and security, and inviting the department to continue the dialogue on specific topics. Ongoing engagement on Rail safety includes ensuring passenger rail is safe and reliable for Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit persons.

In February 2024, the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety met with representatives from the Native Women's Association of Canada, the Assembly of First Nations, and the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. Discussion focused on transportation into and out of Indigenous communities, safe, reliable and accessible transportation, and Calls for Justice 4.8, 8.1 and 17.9. A key outcome of this meeting was a commitment from the federal Minister of Transport to report on progress on the topics discussed with Indigenous partners.

Infrastructure Canada also continued to support the development of transit solutions in rural, remote and Northern communities through the Rural Transit Solutions Fund (RTSF), which supports the development of locally-driven transit solutions that help Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people living in rural communities access safe transportation in order to get to work, school, appointments, and to visit loved ones. When the RTSF was first created, a minimum of 10% of the funding envelope was to be allocated for projects benefitting Indigenous communities and people. To date, the RTSF has well exceeded the original 10% target allocation for projects by and for Indigenous recipients and this year a new Call for Proposals was launched through the Planning and Design Projects stream.

Beyond physical infrastructure and transportation, access to the internet has a key role in Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQl+ people's safety that requires immediate and long-term investments. As highlighted in Calls for Justice 5.5 (i), internet connectivity is particularly relevant to Inuit and other Indigenous Peoples living in remote and Northern communities. Lack of access to reliable internet is an immediate safety concern, as many resources for victims of violence are online and connectivity can provide safety for Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people in moments of acute danger. To date, the $3.2 billion Universal Broadband Fund has approved funding to bring high speed Internet to more than 25,000 Indigenous households. This includes a $7.2 million combined federal-provincial investment announced in July 2023 that will bring high speed Internet to over 1,200 households in the Indigenous community of Stand Off (Blood) in southern Alberta, and $10.3 million in federal funding announced in August 2023 to help bring high speed Internet access to over 1,000 households on Labrador Inuit territory and 254 households located in the Indigenous community of Peavine Métis Settlement in Alberta.

In total over 3,000 Indigenous households gained access to high speed Internet through completed Universal Broadband Fund projects in 2023-24.

As stated in the National Inquiry, well-funded, safe, and accessible transportation and infrastructure is needed to prevent and address violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. The federal government acknowledges this priority, and has made progress in 2023-24 toward ensuring that Indigenous communities have the transportation and infrastructure they need to ensure the safety of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

The National Inquiry makes it clear that the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people are more complex than individual and community safety. To this effect, the Government of Canada has passed key legislation to promote and respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, advance self-determination and reconciliation, reform child and family services, promote language rights and provide access to clean water.

On June 21, 2023, Justice Canada, in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, released the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan. The Action Plan contains 181 measures, developed in consultation and cooperation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and is an evergreen roadmap to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) and advance transformative lasting change for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. More than ten measures in the Action Plan focus on upholding the rights and priorities of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. These measures cover a variety of issues related to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people, including systemic racism, oversight, accountability, self-determination, land, natural resources, civil and political rights, and participation in decision-making.

Importantly, a gendered and intersectional lens has been applied to implement the UN Declaration Act through ongoing bilateral relationships with the Native Women's Association of Canada, Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak, and Pauktuutit. These organizations received funding to consult and cooperate on the Action Plan, and have received grant funding for 2023 to 2025 through the Indigenous Partnership Fund to implement the Action Plan.

The Indigenous Partnership Fund allocated $9 million in 2023-24 to 81 Indigenous organizations. This funding will support their core capacity for sustained contributions to the implementation of the UN Declaration Act, including participation in consultation and cooperation and annual reporting activities.

As a part of the Action Plan, Natural Resources Canada successfully advocated for the inclusion of Shared Priority Action Plan Measure 12, which will strengthen the Government of Canada's commitment to implementing Calls for Justice 13.1 – 13.5. Through this Action Plan Measure, the federal government is committing to increase safety and security of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people at all development stages of resource development projects by partnering with Indigenous communities and organizations, federal departments, provinces and territories, and the resource development industry for the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategy. Natural Resources Canada has established a dedicated team to lead on this measure and has begun early foundational work to guide its implementation.

The National Inquiry identified past approaches to child and family services that removes Indigenous children from their families, severs their cultural, linguistic, religious, and spiritual heritage, and contribute to the conditions that cause violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. The loss of this connection is itself a risk factor for violent victimization and creates further barriers for healing. To ensure that Indigenous children in care remain within Indigenous communities, Indigenous Services Canada has been working to implement An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth, and families. The Act affirms the rights of Indigenous Peoples to exercise jurisdiction over child and family services, establishes national principles for child and family services, and contributes to the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and progresses Calls for Justice 12.1 and 12.2.

Since An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families was made law in 2020, Indigenous Services Canada has been working with Indigenous partners to implement the Act and hand over jurisdiction for child and family services to Indigenous governments, organizations and communities. This year:

• 149 capacity-building funding proposals have been received;
• 21 coordination agreement discussion tables were in operation; and,
• Four First Nations laws came into force (Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, Sts'ailes First Nation, Splatsin, and Loon River First Nation #476, Lubicon Lake Band #453 and Peerless Trout First Nation #478)

In the context of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people, language and culture can contribute to preventing violence. In order to support Indigenous Peoples in reclaiming, revitalizing, maintaining and strengthening Indigenous languages, Canadian Heritage has been working to implement the Indigenous Languages Act since it received Royal Assent in 2019.

This year Canadian Heritage supported 12 agreements under sections 8 and 9 of the Act that support cooperative partnerships, support economies of scale, address critical gaps that enable Indigenous communities to implement their Indigenous language plans and strategies or test innovations in Indigenous languages revitalization work. For instance, the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated are being funded to support, revitalize and strengthen Inuktut in Nunavut by increasing access to Inuktut-language instruction, maintaining the number of proficient Inuktut-speaking Inuit educators and creating support mechanisms for educators.

As part of the implementation of the Indigenous Languages Act, in 2023-24, Canadian Heritage invested $163.8 million through the Indigenous Languages Component of the Indigenous Languages and Culture Program to support multi-year strategies and community-based projects to support the reclamation, revitalization, maintenance and strengthening of Indigenous languages. For example, Makivik Corporation is undertaking a five-year plan to support programs and services for Nunavik Inuit, including determining their own partnership and mechanism for funding the preservation, revitalization, promotion and strengthening of Inuktitut.

The sex-based inequalities in the Indian Act, which have prevented Indigenous women and girls from being able to live on reserve, voting in elections and referendums, benefitting from treaties, and accessing certain supports and services, is also a contributing factor of violence. To address this, Indigenous Services Canada is overseeing the implementation of Bill S-3 which ensures that Indigenous women and their descendants are entitled to be registered and able to seek band membership. As a result of the implementation of Bill S-3, in 2023-24, Indigenous Services Canada enabled 12,141 people to obtain Indian Status. This raises the total number of people who have obtained Indian Status through this program to 52,747.

The National Inquiry's final report noted that Indigenous Peoples right to health is linked to other fundamental human rights, like access to clean water. Specifically, Call for Justice 4.1 calls upon all governments to ensure that Indigenous Peoples have access to clean drinking water, in addition to other infrastructure needs. In December 2023, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-61, an Act respecting water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nations lands. This bill would ensure that First Nations have more tools necessary to protect source water and maintain drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in a self-determined way, hold the federal government accountable to continued funding investments in water infrastructure, lead to the application of minimum standards for clean drinking water in every First Nation and lay the groundwork for the creation of a First Nation-led water institution to support communities.

Additionally, to improve access to high-quality, culturally relevant health care for all Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Services Canada has been working collaboratively with national and regional First Nations, Inuit, and Métis organizations and governments, intersectional groups, federal partners, as well as provinces and territories to co-develop distinctions-based Indigenous health legislation. In 2023-24, national and regional First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners, urban Indigenous organizations, and 2SLGBTQI+ Indigenous organizations participated in engagement and/or co-development activities. Indigenous partners also provided input on a Key Elements document, which outlined potential legislative elements, for the co-development of distinctions-based Indigenous health legislation. Indigenous Services Canada is analyzing feedback on this document and reflecting on potential policy and legislative options that would provide more time and transparency to the process and move forward in a meaningful way.

The Government of Canada acknowledges that the path to addressing missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people requires long-term, legislative solutions. In the past fiscal year, the federal government has passed new legislation and continued to advance previous legislation that address some of the root causes of violence such as Indigenous rights, reconciliation, self-determination, child and family services, access to Indigenous languages, and clean drinking water.

The Government of Canada acknowledges that it must play its part to address racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of prejudice to prevent violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Each of these subjects require a whole-of-government approach and, in response, several federal departments have funded nationwide strategies to address racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and systemic discrimination within the justice system. For example, the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, led by Women and Gender Equity Canada, is a concrete step toward advancing Call for Justice 1.5, which in part calls upon all governments to prevent violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people. As a part of the National Action Plan, this year agreements were reached with all 13 provinces and territories to supplement and enhance services and supports within their jurisdictions to prevent gender-based violence and support survivors.

Similarly, this year, Women and Gender Equality Canada completed the first phase of its public awareness campaign to enhance inclusion and break down stigma and discrimination against 2SLGBTQI+ communities a part of the 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan. A report on the findings of this phase is available to read online. Women and Gender Equality is also currently working to implement up to $40 million to strengthen the capacity of 2SLGBTQI+ organizations through the 2SLGBTQI+ Community Capacity Fund and up to $35 million for projects aimed at addressing specific barriers to 2SLGBTQI+ equality through the 2SLGBTQI+ Projects Fund. This year, funding continued to support 12 organizations with Indigenous memberships for a total of $3.6 million in funding under both the 2SLGBTQI+ Community Capacity Fund and 2SLGBTQI+ Projects Fund.

Further, in response to Call for Justice 2.6, and the need for a national anti-racism action plan, Canadian Heritage engaged nationwide to inform the development of Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy. In 2023, Canadian Heritage successfully renewed the Anti-Racism Strategy with $25.4 million over five years and $0.6 million ongoing. Building on the first Strategy, Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy 2023-28 will aim to combat systemic racism in federal policies, programs, and services by addressing the intersections of racism and other forms of oppression.

The Government of Canada has committed to addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people, which includes taking steps to reduce racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia. These three strategies represent a strong first step toward meeting this commitment. The federal government will continue to implement these strategies in the years ahead as it works toward reducing violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Call for Justice 1.7 and the seventh National Action Plan goal each speak directly to the need for Indigenous human rights mechanisms with jurisdiction to operate in every Canadian province and territory. To this effect, on January 10, 2023, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations appointed Jennifer Moore-Rattray as the Ministerial Special Representative to engage Indigenous Peoples on an Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson and provide recommendations on this issue.

In 2023-24, the Ministerial Special Representative met with over 600 people representing 125 organizations, including national and regional First Nations, Métis, and Inuit organizations, federal government departments, and provincial and territorial governments. A version of the Ministerial Special Representative's report was presented at the second annual National Indigenous-Federal-Provincial-Territorial Roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People (February 7-8, 2024). The Ministerial Special Representative's final report was provided to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations in March 2024. The Government of Canada is considering the report's findings as it plans next steps toward the development of an Indigenous human rights Ombudsperson, including further engagement with Indigenous partners.

The Government of Canada acknowledges that oversight of the implementation of the Calls for Justice and end violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people is required. In order to fulfill this commitment, Budget 2023 has committed $2.2 million over five years in order to continue work toward the implementation of Call for Justice 1.10 and the establishment of an oversight body to monitor government progress on the Calls for Justice.

Work on Call for Justice 1.10 started in 2022 through initial engagement by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs with Indigenous partners as well as an Indigenous company to develop options for further consideration on the oversight mechanism. In spring 2023, the final report drafted by the Indigenous company was shared with Indigenous partners, provinces, and territories. The Government of Canada recognizes the importance an oversight body and continues its work toward its development and implementation.

As the eighth guiding principle of the National Action Plan indicates, addressing violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people demands effective partnerships and collaboration between governments and Indigenous Peoples. To this effect, Budget 2023 committed $2.5 million over five years to establish a standing Indigenous-Federal-Provincial-Territorial roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People. Following the first National Indigenous-Federal-Provincial-Territorial roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People in January 2023, Budget 2023 proposed $2.5 million over five years starting in 2023-24 to facilitate and coordinate work on advancing the National Action Plan by establishing a standing Indigenous-Federal-Provincial-Territorial Roundtable.

The second annual National Indigenous-Federal-Provincial-Territorial Roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People was held in Ottawa on February 7-8, 2024. It included 100 in-person and 130 virtual participants from all provinces and territories, six federal Ministers, as well as 72 Indigenous partners, including five National Indigenous Organizations, five national Indigenous women's and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations, elected leadership from 17 Indigenous governments and bands and 45 regional and grassroots Indigenous women's and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations representing First Nations, Inuit Métis, Urban and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Together, Indigenous leaders and grassroots organizations joined federal, provincial, and territorial Ministers and officials in discussing a Red Dress Alert, the Ministerial Special Representative's final report on an Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson, and monitoring progress and exploring opportunities for collaboration. Participants also shared and discussed best practices, key priorities, and opportunities for collaboration. The federal government will continue to collaborate with Indigenous partners on addressing missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

One of the National Action Plan goals calls on contributing partners to co-develop, co-implement, and co-manage the work that addresses missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. With this principle in mind, the Government of Canada has been working alongside Indigenous partners to implement the Federal Pathwaythrough sustained and meaningful engagement in the development, implementation, and evaluation of policy, programs and legislation and by fostering ongoing cooperation with Indigenous partners, including families and survivors.

All levels of government have a responsibility to prioritize and center the truths, views, and perspectives of families, survivors, Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQI+ people, Indigenous organizations, and Indigenous communities in their work to address MMIWG2S+.

In recent years, some initiatives led by the federal government have adopted new funding approaches for Indigenous-led projects that give Indigenous partners more control over how money is spent. This approach, which directly responds to the third National Action Plan goal and several priorities from National Action Plan partners, will improve self-determination and give Indigenous communities the ability to allocate funding based on their needs. Within the Federal Pathway, several initiatives have undertaken this new approach, including:

• The Distinctions-Based Housing Supports initiative, run by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Indigenous Services Canada, is delivering funding directly to First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners to respond to the self-determined housing needs of Indigenous communities.
• The Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund, operated by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Indigenous Services Canada, is supporting the immediate infrastructure priorities, as defined by Indigenous communities, by delivering funding directly to First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners to support shovel ready infrastructure projects.
• Indigenous Services Canada's Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative provides a broad funding stream to support a wide variety of Indigenous designed projects in response to Indigenous communities' requests for self-determined community safety solutions.
• As part of the implementation of the Indigenous Languages Act, Canadian Heritage's Indigenous Languages Component of the Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program has transitioned to distinctions-based funding models that increases Indigenous autonomy and control over funding decisions based on their priorities; introduces long-term funding agreements which support multi-year strategies; sets out regional allocations based on factors that are relevant for Indigenous partners; and, moves from a uniform approach to one that is tailored to distinct needs.
• As part of the Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy, the Government of Canada launched an open and transparent Request for Proposals in January 2024, for Indigenous partners to be considered to lead the establishment of a National Indigenous Housing Centre. Once selected, the Government of Canada will finalize an agreement with the proponent to establish the National Indigenous Housing Centre. One of the key roles of the National Indigenous Housing Centre will be to provide funding to address core Indigenous housing needs in urban, rural and northern areas. The Government of Canada will also work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners and Modern Treaty Self Governing Indigenous Government partners to develop funding agreements to support their citizens, members and beneficiaries living in urban, rural and northern areas and discuss interim approaches for those who may not be ready.

Through this approach, the federal government is advancing self-determined Indigenous-led solutions to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people and is empowering Indigenous partners to better respond to their specific and unique needs. These initiatives, and others in the Federal Pathway, will continue to distribute funding directly to partners in the upcoming year to respect the relationships and subject-matter expertise that Indigenous organizations and communities hold regarding missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

In 2023-24, the Government of Canada advanced its efforts to produce high-quality data on issues related to MMIWG2S+ by disaggregating data and increasing the availability of baseline data through improved data collection consistency and frequency.

To improve the availability of disaggregated and distinctions-based data, this year Statistics Canada continues to lead work on the Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP). The overarching goal of the DDAP is to breakdown data on specific population groups, with a current focus on Indigenous Peoples. To date, the DDAP has made advancements regarding the disaggregation of Indigenous identity and sexual orientation for several surveys. For example, recent cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey, the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces, the General Social Survey, and Canadian Housing Survey now include variables on Indigenous identity and sexual orientation. The inclusion of Indigenous identity and sexual orientation will allow for a better understanding of various socioeconomic factors and how they affect Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ people.

In addition to data disaggregation and increased sample sizes, baseline data is an important part of the MMIWG2S+ data landscape. Baseline data allows the Government of Canada to assess progress over time. In 2023-24, the availability of baseline data regarding MMIWG2S+ advanced through the ongoing collection of existing survey data, as well as the addition of news surveys. For example, the scheduled data collection between May 17 – June 19, 2024, for the Health Care Access and Discrimination in the Survey Series of First Nations People, Métis and Inuit will be able to be compared to the data collected form the 2017-20 Primary health care access among First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit. Similarly, the availability of baseline data for various socioeconomic conditions was advanced by the continuation of several questions in the 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey.

A new question was added to the 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey specifically related to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people: Are there Indigenous women, girls or Two-Spirit people in your life who are missing, murdered, or whose disappearance or death is suspicious? The addition of this question will provide new insights into the intersection of MMIWG2S+ and various socioeconomic factors. The data from the 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey is scheduled to be released in Fall 2024.

Further, as a part of Phase 1 (2022-23 to 2024-25) of a Transformational Approach to Indigenous Data (TAID), Statistics Canada is working with Indigenous Services Canada to support First Nations, Inuit and Métis to build the sustainable data capacity they will need to deliver effective services to their citizens, and to participate meaningfully with other levels of government. Statistics Canada's role is to support the Indigenous partners in building Indigenous data capacity and improving the visibility of Indigenous Peoples in Canada's national statistics. This work includes targeted research projects, preceded by some necessary data development work, to address information needs related to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. It includes Juristat articles on Indigenous victims of homicide Court Outcomes in Homicides of Indigenous Women and Girls, 2009 to 2021 released on October 4, 2023 and the release of a report in 2024-25 on Indigenous shelters for victims of abuse. Juristat is a Statistics Canada publication that provides in-depth analysis and detailed statistics on a variety of topics related to justice and public safety. Funds dedicated to this research products total $90,000 for 2023-24. The 2023-24 TAID funding also supported the following products related to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people:

• Police Reported Information Hub
• The Daily — Indigenous homicide victims in Canada
• Indigenous victims of homicide in Canada, 2022

The National Inquiry's Final Report noted that because the issue of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people is interconnected, a robust understanding of how data is related and located through different jurisdictions, including those outside of the Government of Canada, is needed. In 2023-24, the Government of Canada has continued to advance its efforts to understand and improve data connections within the MMIWG2S+ landscape.

For example, this year the Statistics Canada's Missing Persons Data Standard Project continued to work towards the standardization of protocols, policies, and practices for police services in cases of missing Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Specifically in 2023-24, the Missing Persons Data Standard Project conducted eight virtual information sessions and discussions with 18 representatives from National Indigenous Organizations, 27 from provincial/territorial government departments and three from federal departments. The purpose of these engagements was to incorporate the perspectives of Indigenous partners, provinces, and territories when developing the engagement strategy with police services. Following this, virtual engagements were held with 13 police services, and 24 police services submitted written responses.

In 2023-24, Indigenous Services Canada released a new Horizontal Initiative on Support for Indigenous Housing. Horizontal Initiatives are government-wide reporting processes that consist of performance indicators and targets to measure and track progress on various issues. The Support for Indigenous Housing Horizontal Initiative (SIHHI) aims to measure the effect that direct investments, such as $4 billion invested in distinctions-based housing by Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, have on efforts to address communities' self-determined housing needs. It includes the construction of new homes and the repair of existing homes. SIHHI also supports communities' capacity to plan on housing matters, including development of new housing, repair, and management. As noted in the National Inquiry's Final Report, access to safe, affordable, and culturally relevant housing is imperative to the safety of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Further, to better understand the participation of Indigenous Peoples in the Canadian economy, Statistics Canada developed the Indigenous Peoples Economic Account (IPEA) in 2022. In 2023, the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions also provided data on business majority ownership by women, Indigenous people, and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ population.

New variables are also being added to the Civil Court Survey and will include personal identifiers to allow the integration of civil court data in other Statistics Canada databases. This data integration will allow for the analysis of socioeconomic factors, including information on Indigenous people, which will provide insight into their experiences in Canadian civil courts. Additionally, following recommendations from public engagement, Statistics Canada developed new population-based indicators and analysis, published in August 2023, on the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in provincial custody.

The Justice Data Modernization Initiative, led by Statistics Canada and Justice Canada, will improve the collection and use of disaggregated criminal justice data, in view of developing policy responses to the overrepresentation of Indigenous and racialized people in the criminal justice system, as accused/offenders or victims/survivors.

In 2023-24, as a part of the Justice Data Modernization Initiative, Statistics Canada completed a draft framework of indicators required to measure overrepresentation in the criminal justice system. Justice Canada and Statistics Canada also completed parameterization and testing of pilot simulation modules towards the ultimate goal of developing a simulation model of criminal justice system trajectories to project the impacts of hypothetical justice and social sector interventions on overrepresentation.

Additionally, this year Statistics Canada conducted a second phase of engagements with various partners with diverse perspectives, including community organizations, academics, police services, police associations and other parties of interest at the national, provincial or territorial, municipal, and local government levels. Overall 785 organizations were contacted, including 133 Indigenous representative bodies and organizations. In total, 131 organizations participated, including 17 Indigenous representative bodies and organizations. These engagements sought input on:

• operational needs, concerns and issues;
• guidelines on how to best collect Indigenous and racialized information;
• guidelines on when it is appropriate to collect Indigenous and racialized information;
• ways to develop the standards and guidelines;
• provincial legislation and privacy acts that may affect Indigenous and racialized identity data collection; and,
• the use of data after collection.

The information collected from the 2023-24 engagements serves as the basis for work of a new Special Purpose Committee under the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to guide the operationalization of the data collection. Guidelines from the project are planned for release in 2024-25. On July 24, 2023, Statistics Canada published an interim status report to share the progress of the initiative.

Further, in September 2023, as a part of the DDAP, Statistics Canada released its findings for cybervictimization and mental health among diverse Canadian youth, including transgender and non-binary youth, and Indigenous youth. This report found that the odds of experiencing cybervictimization were higher among transgender and non-binary youth.

The National Inquiry's Final Report, the National Action Plan Data Strategy, and Indigenous partners have noted that any measurement of progress needs to stem from Indigenous ways of understanding of safety in development with Indigenous partners. The Government of Canada recognizes this and in 2023-24 has continued to fund several data initiatives that support Indigenous ways of understanding of safety.

In December 2023, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada announced the investment of $7.1 million to support 18 new Indigenous-led projects that improve the collection of consistent and reliable data and address current gaps in knowledge to better develop and support Indigenous-led, evidence-based solutions to improving the safety of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people in Canada. Funded projects will:

• Explore ways safety is defined and measured among First Nations through the First Nations Information Governance Centre's project, called Define and Measure Safety Among First Nations Women, Girls, and Gender Diverse Individuals.
• Develop a data strategy and improve data methodologies that are specific to missing and murdered Inuit women, girls, and gender-diverse Inuit through Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada's project, called Inuit Count. This will increase Inuit representation in current data and inform initiatives that reduce gender-based violence for Inuit, who have unique circumstances and experiences.
• Co-construct an interactive map by analyzing statistics, stories and images that will help improve understanding around the disappearances and murders of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people in Quebec through the Quebec Native Women Inc.'s project, called Nānīawig Māmawe Nīnawind, Stand With Us.

Both the process and outcomes of improving the MMIWG2S+ data landscape regarding accurate, high quality, disaggregated, and distinctions-based data take time. To measure the long-term progress of the federal government's work on MMIWG2S+, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People Horizontal Initiative was established in 2021.

The Horizontal Initiative consists of 12 federal departments and agencies whose initiatives are included in the Federal Pathway. Working together, the participating departments in the Horizontal Initiative developed performance indicators and that allow the federal government to measure the effectiveness of its initiatives and subsequently determine whether violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people is being reduced.

In 2023-24, targets were set for the majority of the performance indicators in the MMIWG2S+ Horizontal Initiative. Further, as a result of advancements in the MMIWG2S+ landscape, several new indicators were added. For example, because of the inclusion of Indigenous identity and sexual orientation in the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces, the MMIWG2S+ Horizontal Initiative was able to include a new indicator on the percentage of Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ people who report experiences of gender-based violence. Another indicator was also added for the number of long-term and short-term residential facilities for Indigenous victims of abuse. These new indicators and targets were published in Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada 2024-25 Departmental Plan and will begin to report in the 2023-24 Departmental Results Report, due for publication in Fall 2024.