Over the course of the past several years, we developed the Statement of Principles, Values and Commitments to Actions for Indigenous Women, Girls and their Families in consultation with on-reserve shelter members; their staff, band council and board members; and the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association. It was then further reviewed by the ACWS board and all ACWS members. The associated Action Plan is a living document that we will continue to update. Most notably the Calls for Justice released in the report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released late last year. From the onset, we approached our desire for reconciliation with the view that words need to be backed up with action; hence the Statement and the Action Plan were developed concurrently. Our 2019-20 actions include: Creating a dedicated section on the ACWS website to share treaty acknowledgements and other Indigenous Learning Resources. We continue to include our acknowledgements in our major papers and reports, and all major meetings begin with an acknowledgement. This acknowledgement is far more than a symbol or a gesture. It is a recognition that we are all treaty people, and we all have a responsibility to be more accountable to Indigenous individuals and communities. Understanding and addressing racism and intolerance is a key and long-term commitment of the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters as we seek to build a world free from violence and abuse. We continue to educate ACWS members and staff about the Treaties and legal relationships between Indigenous peoples and the Crown. The webinar developed in 2018-19 on this topic has been integrated into our Stepping Into the Circle Guide. In implementing the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission we have incorporated the history and legacy of residential schools; treaties and Indigenous rights; and Indigenous law and Crown-Indigenous relations into ACWS training materials. We continue to advocate when asked on the funding needs for Indigenous women in remote and isolated communities to meet the needs of safety, transportation, employment, housing, childcare, and basic needs. Actions to date include comments on cuts to Greyhound and the impact upon northern communities; consultation with on reserve shelters on the housing strategy; and the establishment of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) Reconciliation Fund for on-reserve shelters. This year, AFL raised $17,882 to support Eagle’s Nest and Sucker Creek women’s shelters. These shelters are also accessing the Women’s Shelter Fund through our partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart. As part of our commitment to the development of strategic alliances with Indigenous Nations, community leadership, and community organizations to support the work of the First Nations shelters, ACWS and ACWS membership advanced an update in our Memorandum of Agreement with the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association. We look forward to a signing ceremony and joint meeting when it is safe to do so. We also supported one of our staff members to receive certification in the Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre training on OCAP principles to support ACWS action-based research. Further, our exciting new Blueprint project specifically includes a focus on meeting the needs of Indigenous women and further testing of the Danger Assessment circle, while continuing to build on strategic alliances in the community. We continue to develop and expand online and print tools for training and education, which include the webinars developed to date, incorporation of an Indigenous component into the children’s curriculum, and enhancement of the Danger Assessment Curriculum. ACWS continues to support efforts for a durable and equitable federal funding policy for on-reserve shelters supports and services when asked by our on-reserve members. ACWS supports the creation of Welcoming and Safe Spaces for Indigenous women and children through the sharing shelter practices and encouraging linkages with Indigenous partners. We continue to identify and provide supports to members shelters of Indigenous resources available. Our Stepping into the Circle learning resources were distributed to all members, are also available on the ACWS Members Hub and are being incorporated into our online learning management system. A key milestone this past year was having former Chief Commissioner for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Marion Buller, speak with shelter directors about what they could do to advance the Calls for Justice, followed by a public lecture to address what the community at large needs to do. ACWS continues to uphold our commitment to having a minimum of 3 Indigenous voting members on the ACWS Board of Directors. Our bylaws were changed in September 2019 to allow for public Indigenous as well as on-reserve representation. We currently have two public directors and one on-reserve board delegate. ACWS also acknowledges that far more needs to be done as we start on our path towards reconciliation. This has been tragically brought to the fore through police brutality and abuse of power shared around the world in recent months. Some of these images and experiences were in our very own province. Everyone deserves to feel safe and live free from violence and racism in their home, in public spaces, and within institutions. We join our partners in calling for an end to the discrimination and structural racism that underlie the ongoing violence against Indigenous peoples, Black people, and people of color. We hold fast to our vision of a world free from violence and abuse. We know that all forms of violence and oppression are connected. We cannot end one without the other. The staff and board of ACWS are committed to continue learning from and working with our members, our partners, and those with lived experience, recognizing that our work to end gender-based violence is inextricably linked to ending misogyny and racism at the individual, institutional, and community level and within ourselves.
