2024-2025 Highlight report: Families and survivors
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Introduction
Survivors, families, and Indigenous communities have been clear that justice, healing, and safety require ongoing support that centers their voices, experiences, and priorities. In alignment with the Calls for Justice, Indigenous partners have identified the urgent need for distinctions-based programs that provide emotional, legal, cultural, and financial supports to those most directly impacted by violence. The National Family and Survivors Circle Inc., alongside many Indigenous organizations both national and regional, have emphasized the need for supports and healing for families and survivors. In its contribution to the 2021 National Action Plan entitled The Path Forward – Reclaiming Power and Place, the National Family and Survivors Circle Inc. highlighted the importance of centering the work around families and survivors, proposed a framework of four pillars upon which the work should be built (inclusion, interconnectedness, accountability and impact), and highlighted the interconnectedness between culture, health and wellness, justice, and human security.
In 2024–25, the federal government continued to invest in initiatives that address these needs through survivor-informed programming, trauma-informed services, and long-term infrastructure for care. This report outlines progress made across two key areas of support:
- health and wellbeing
- navigation of the justice system and culturally safe legal services
Health and wellbeing of families and survivors
Families and survivors have emphasized the importance of holistic supports that honour emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual wellness. This section highlights 2024–25 federal investments in trauma-informed health services, community-based healing programs, and culturally grounded wellness initiatives that respond to the lived experiences of those impacted by the MMIWG2S+ crisis.
Highlights for 2024–25
- In 2024–25 $2.3 million was allocated to successful Indigenous organizations and community-led project recipients of The Support for the Wellbeing of Families and Survivors of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People, led by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC). The funding provided Indigenous groups with the ability to offer culturally appropriate and trauma informed care and services that support the healing journey of Indigenous families and survivors that have been impacted by violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people (MMIWG2S+).
- The Mental Wellness Program, led by Indigenous Services Canada, delivered two services directly linked to survivors, family members, and Indigenous People impacted by MMIWG2S+, the MMIWG Health and Cultural Support Program and the MMIWG Crisis Line (1-844-413-6649). In 2024–25, the program continued to fund a suite of mental wellness services such as Indigenous-led suicide prevention and life promotion initiatives, 24/7 crisis intervention services, and mobile Mental Wellness Teams, with most services delivered by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis organizations. Organizations funded in 2024–25 included Friendship Centres, Indigenous Women's Organizations, National Indigenous resource centres, Métis Nation governments, Inuit health and social services programs, First Nations, and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations.
- The Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy – Family Violence Prevention Program, led by Indigenous Services Canada, provided dedicated supports for Indigenous-led and community-driven efforts on the prevention and responses to family violence nation-wide. The program funds the operations of emergency shelters and transitional (second stage) housing to improve the safety and security of Indigenous women, children, families and 2SLGBTQI+ people across Canada, including in the North and in urban centres. The program prioritized culturally-grounded services for Indigenous families and survivors, and First Nations, Inuit, Métis, urban Indigenous, and 2SLGBTQI+ communities. Examples of funded initiatives in 2024–25 include:
- community-led workshops held to raise awareness of family violence, including outreach to women, children, youth and 2SLGBTQI+ people, and engagement with men and boys to prevent family violence in a semi-remote First Nation community.
- held a gathering held by Indigenous Women Rising, Addressing Intimate Partner and Family Violence, that provided workshops on a variety of issues related to family violence, and delivered by Indigenous women and 2-Spirit people
- funding provided to the National Indigenous Circle Against Family Violence, and Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, as well as Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak who received funding to continue engagement amongst Métis communities to assess shelter and programming needs tailored to their respective communities
- The Community Support and Healing for Families Initiative approved 33 multi-year projects in 2024–25 and will allocate funding for Indigenous organizations and communities to design and deliver culturally-grounded and trauma-based programs. The projects are intended to support families and survivors with their grief and trauma through a variety of activities such as healing circles, counseling with Elders, land-based healing, family support networks, ceremonies, and community gatherings. Examples of approved projects include:
- the Inuit Association of Manitoba's The Kativiik Program which directly supports community members with trained and practicing Inuit traditional culture outreach workers and other allied health and social service agencies with services for Inuit families affected by the loss of a missing or murdered loved one.
- Wellness Kits, developed by the National Family and Survivors Circle Inc. to address the grief and trauma of families, or missing and murdered loved ones. This initiative also includes the development of an education curriculum and train-the-trainer module based on best practices, informed by the lived experiences and expertise of families, for frontline service delivery organizations and government entities with the aim to improve access to justice for victims of crime while also creating space for families as leaders and experts in steering their own journey towards healing and justice
- the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal's Iskweu Project, which is focused on addressing the immediate needs of families when an Indigenous woman, girl, transgender, or 2-Spirit person goes missing. Its goals include:
- ensuring police file reports and conduct proper investigations
- promoting best practices in police responses
- providing emotional support to families and friends
- implementing prevention strategies through harm reduction
- developing a welcome kit for Indigenous newcomers to Montreal
- offering a 1-800 number for tips or assistance related to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people
Navigating the justice system and accessing culturally safe legal services
The justice system can be complex, retraumatizing, and difficult to navigate without ongoing support. Indigenous partners have called for aftercare services that uphold the dignity and rights of survivors and families. This section reviews 2024–25 federal efforts to provide advocacy, information, and emotional supports before, during, and after engagement with legal or policing systems.
Highlights for 2024–25
- The Indigenous Family Courtwork Services (Justice Canada) aims to benefit families and survivors by providing access to culturally grounded legal navigation support in matters-related to family and child protections. This service aims to enhance access to justice for First Nation, Inuit, and Métis people by addressing systemic gaps and supporting informed decision-making throughout court proceedings. Community-based approaches and Indigenous-led implementation of the program helps to build trust, and ensure that those accessing the program are supported to when navigating the communication and cultural-gaps between Indigenous families and non-Indigenous institutions.
- The Indigenous Justice Program (Justice Canada) addresses the root causes of Indigenous overrepresentation in the criminal justice system through programs that target prevention, pre-charge, post-charge and reintegration among other areas. Programming largely focuses on repairing harm through the use of restorative justice and other traditional Indigenous processes which reflect the justice values, traditions and cultures of Indigenous communities. In 2024-25, the integrity of over 200 Indigenous community-based justice programs was supported for increased costs associated with providing culturally relevant programs and services to Indigenous justice clients. Additionally in 2024-25, the Indigenous Justice Program supported 37 civil and family mediation projects that contribute to the wellbeing of Indigenous communities by preventing the escalation of conflicts and family disputes, assisting youth in conflict with the law, and supporting cultural practices for Indigenous families. The program continues to provide assistance to 54 programs to deliver Gladue aftercare services for those clients impacted by Gladue factors to connect them with essential supports and resources.
- Developed in direct response to the testimony of families during the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, the RCMP, through its Contract and Indigenous Policing team, developed 2 national trauma-informed guides to address the concerns raised during the Inquiry — including the lack of information shared by police when a loved one went missing, the need for better explanation of the criminal justice system, and the inherent complexities of jurisdictions. The guides, one for families of homicide victims and one for families of missing persons, were co-sponsored and have been formally endorsed by the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs, and were also reviewed by the Association's Policing with Indigenous Peoples Committee and Victims of Crime Committee. Informed through consultation with families and survivors, the guides offer plain language explanations of investigative and justice processes for all families, regardless of jurisdiction. In line with the Final Report of the National Inquiry, the guides will be made available in at least four Indigenous languages — Inuktitut, to be followed by Cree, Michif, and Ojibwe, with plans for potential additional translation to follow.
- The Supporting Indigenous Victims of Crime initiative (Justice Canada) seeks to increase access to Indigenous-led, culturally safe, survivor-centred services and supports, at the community level, and support and strengthen partnerships between Indigenous agencies, all levels of government, and various justice agencies to reduce the harm that Indigenous victims and survivors experience in the criminal justice system. Building on the work of other levels of government (including provincial and territorial governments that have the responsibility for the administration of justice), the initiative, driven by a transformative and community-driven approach, recognizes the systemic violence faced by Indigenous Peoples and works with all levels of government to improve the justice system experience for Indigenous victims through trauma-informed, community-responsive pathways to justice, while also strengthening victims' rights. In 2024–25 the Supporting Indigenous Victims of Crime initiative held an open call for proposals, which resulted in 42 projects being approved for funding over 5 years starting in 2025–26.
Conclusion
Carrying the voices of those lost, survivors, families, Indigenous communities, the National Family and Survivors Circle Inc. and other Indigenous organizations have been steadfast in communicating the need for justice, healing, and dignity for those most impacted by the national crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous, women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. As part of its work to end the violence towards Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people, the federal government has developed and implemented culturally-grounded and trauma informed initiatives such as health and mental wellbeing supports, assistance to ease the burden of navigating a complex justice system that in most cases continues to re-traumatize survivors and families, and enabling Indigenous communities and organizations to deliver quick and culturally-grounded supports in a time of crisis.