Missing and murdered women in Manitoba largely Aboriginal; Aboriginal suicides take toll on family members

Racism blamed for violence - - Families want more steps taken to solve killings of native women

Another eight aboriginal women have been added to a list of the missing and murdered in Manitoba, and their families say the ongoing violence stems from racism.

Last year, the Native Women's Association of Canada counted 520 missing and murdered women, based on an exhaustive search of court, police and media reports. On Wednesday, NWAC released an updated study that analyzed its database of victims and added another 62 names to the list, raising the total to 582 dating back more than 40 years.

In Manitoba, the number of women has increased from 71 last year to 79 now, including women like Hillary Angel Wilson and Cherisse Houle, both of whom were found dead on the outskirts of town last summer.

Jordan Houle, Cherisse's 21-year-old brother, says aboriginal women -- particularly those who live hardened lifestyles -- are considered worthless by some people.

"There's a lot of people out there who disregard native women and disrespect them a lot," said Houle, who still expects to run into his sister on the street. "I think there's a lot of discrimination against young native women who take that lifestyle and go down that path."

Cherisse struggled with addiction from a young age and was the mother of an infant son. Her body turned up in a Rural Municipality of Rosser field last July, and Mounties have made no arrests in what they call a suspicious death.

According to NWAC's report, Manitoba police are mediocre at solving the cases of missing and murdered women. Only 52 per cent of the cases have been cleared with criminal charges. The Canadian average is 53 per cent. Saskatchewan has laid charges in 78 per cent of its cases.

Deputy Premier Eric Robinson, who doubles as the province's aboriginal affairs minister, called Manitoba's "solve rate" quite troubling.

"This is disgraceful that this can occur in a country like Canada and we have to put our minds together and try ways to find solutions to address it," he said.

The epidemic of missing and murdered women has garnered intense public attention in recent years and spurred the creation of several provincial task forces to solve outstanding cases, including a task force in Manitoba.

Despite that, 27 more women have disappeared or been murdered across Canada since January of last year.

"It shows this is an ongoing issue that needs immediate attention," said Kate Rexe, the director of NWAC's Sisters in Spirit project.

Last August, in the wake of Houle's death, Winnipeg police and RCMP announced a joint task force with seven investigators and two civilian analysts who are examining 84 cases dating back to 1926. The province also announced an action group dedicated to protecting vulnerable women and girls, and it now has a newly appointed co-ordinator.

RCMP D Division spokeswoman Sgt. Line Karpish said the Mounties didn't contribute to the report and don't know how NWAC came up with its figures.

"Sometimes, some of these numbers are unclear to us as where exactly who they're talking about and the origin," said Karpish, adding NWAC should source its figures.

Karpish said the Mounties provide "bias-free policing" that's "regardless of sex, ethnicity, background or lifestyle."

582 MISSING AND MURDERED ABORIGINAL WOMEN

They're mothers

They left at least 440 children motherless

They're young

55 per cent are under 31 years of age

They live in cities

Most went missing or were murdered in urban areas

They're not prostitutes

Of the 582 cases, there's information connecting only 75 to the sex trade.

They're three times as likely to be killed by a stranger

In cases where charges were laid, 16.5% of women where killed by a stranger. Only 6% of non-aboriginal women are killed by strangers

The crimes are unsolved

Charges have been laid in about 53% of cases. In Canada overall, 84% of all homicides are solved.

Many are still missing

There are 115 women who have vanished

-- Source: What Their Stories Tell Us: Research Findings From the Sisters in Spirit Initiative

Suicide takes a toll on surviving family members - - Many cases involve Aboriginals

With Manitoba expecting to reach an all-time high for the number of suicide deaths last year, the loved ones left behind are rallying to help each other cope.

Aboriginal survivors of suicide are gathering at Thunderbird House today to share their stories of sadness and life after the death of someone close.

The Manitoba Medical Examiner's office says 2003 had the highest number of suicides with 180, and 2009 has already surpassed that with more cases as yet unconfirmed.

Many of those deaths -- five to six times more than the Canadian average -- involve aboriginal youth.

Steve Courchene knows the stats and the suffering behind them.

"My son took his life on Aug. 25, 2005," he said.

Donovan Courchene was 21, depressed and addicted to crack cocaine.

"He hung himself in his mother's clothes closet," said his dad.

Courchene said he helped organize the gathering, which began Wednesday, to bring together people who know what that's like so they could support each other.

"There's no place for suicide survivors... Another survivor will know what you're going through."

Death is hard for people to talk about, he said. The stigma of suicide makes it even tougher.

Well-meaning people who have never lost a loved one to suicide can do more harm than good, he said.

"People say 'get on with it.' We want people to understand it's hard for us."

Courchene said he's just had a grandson and he feels like he should be happy but the pain of losing his son lingers. "I'm wracked with guilt, self-hate and a lot of blame."

A family member blamed him for his son's death, and at times he wanted to die.

"I'd be sitting in the closet holding the rope trying to connect with my boy or for a way of just getting off this Earth."

The day his son died, he had locked himself inside the house. The family called the police, who discovered Donovan's body and secured the scene.

An investigator with the medical examiner's office prepared Courchene and his wife for what they'd see.

"She said 'prepare yourself. His tongue is hanging out and it's black. There's the smell of death.'" His son's body had been hanging for two days.

Courchene said it would've been worse if not for the medical examiner.

"She wasn't cold and informal. I remember the compassion in her voice...She meets people at that initial time of grief and shock."

That woman is Hedie Epp, who in 15 years with the medical examiner's office attended to hundreds of suicides.

Epp, who's been a nurse for more than 40 years, said the suicide death of a friend led her to the job.

Over the years, dealing with suicide never got easier, she said.

"I realized every case I dealt with would be difficult," said Epp.

"I've read so many notes and letters saying 'my children would be better off without me'... No child would be better off."

She said she coped on the job by not blocking the pain.

"You let it pass through you. You let it come in, feel the sadness, and let it go through you."

Dealing with the loved ones left behind at the scene was an honour, she said.

"To walk into a house in what must be the most traumatic time of their life is a privilege. It gave me all the strength to do that job."

Epp retired from her job with the province three weeks ago and started her own grief consulting service.

Wage gap is narrowing for Aboriginals

Income gap narrowing for Aboriginals- Education is key to matching non-natives, study finds

OTTAWA -- For every dollar earned by a non-aboriginal in Canada in 2006, aboriginal Canadians earned just 70 cents, a new study will show today.

The Income Gap Between Aboriginal Peoples and the Rest of Canada is being released publicly this morning by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The analysis of income data from the 1996, 2001 and 2006 censuses found the median income for aboriginal Canadians jumped 58 per cent between 1996 and 2006 to $18,962.

That was $8,135 less than the median income of non-aboriginals. In 1996, the income gap was $9,428.

Study co-author Daniel Wilson said the gap is slowly narrowing. "It's large and it's pretty stubborn."

Wilson noted at this rate it will be 2069 before aboriginal workers have the same median income as non-aboriginals.

If Canada doesn't do something to address the problem, federal and provincial governments will lose an estimated $115 billion in foregone income tax revenue and social spending costs in the next two decades, the study estimates.

There is some good news in the study, particularly for aboriginal women, who are earning more than non-aboriginals if they have finished university. Aboriginal women who had a bachelor's degree in 2006 had a median income $2,471 higher than non-aboriginal women with undergraduate degrees. Among aboriginal women with a master's degree, the median income was $4,521 higher.

"At the end of the day, one takes the glimmers of hope where you can," Wilson said.

The reason might be because aboriginal women after university tend to gravitate towards public service careers in education, health care and social work. Wilson said aboriginal women tend to be older on average when they finish university, and can use life experience and maturity to help them land higher paying jobs off the bat.

Rainey Gaywish, area director of aboriginal focus programs at the University of Manitoba's Extended Education program, said she thinks there is something else driving the trend: supply and demand.

"Aboriginal people with degrees are sought after," she said. "It's called competition for scarce resources."

Gaywish, whose master's degree and PhD puts her among the one per cent of aboriginal women with post-graduate degrees, said employers are looking to diversify their workforce, making aboriginal degree holders highly sought after.

Gaywish said she definitely sees more female students coming through her doors. She attributes it to historical and cultural factors, including the higher number of single mothers who need to earn more to support their children. She also noted many of the jobs available on reserves go to men. Women have to go to school to earn their way in, she said.

Gaywish said her decision to attend university had more to do with becoming a role model than bettering her career.

"I'm well aware of the statistics of how few of us are achieving an education," she said. "The more of us that do so, the more it will encourage young people to do so."

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca

The numbers

Median incomes, 2006:

Aboriginal: $18,962

Non-aboriginal: $27,097

Median incomes, 2001:

Aboriginal: $16,036

Non-aboriginal: $25,081

Median incomes, 1996:

Aboriginal: $12,003

Non-aboriginal: $21,431

-- Source: The Income Gap Between Aboriginal Peoples and the Rest of Canada, April 2010

It is encouraging to see that the wage-gap is narrowing and that Aboriginals are becoming a tad closer to equal, with everyone else. Unfortunately, they still face many barriers to achieving an education, the main one being systemic discrimination. This is what we need to change. 

Majority of Aboriginals lack confidence in the justice system and feel it treats Aboriginals unfairly

Most Aboriginal urban peoples opt to stay in city

Almost half of Canadian aboriginal peoples are city dwellers, and a new study released to CBC by the Environics Institute suggests many have no plans to return to their home reserve.

The national Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study of 2,614 self-identified aboriginal people found that while many native Canadians maintain ties with their home communities, only three in 10 first-generation urban aboriginal peoples have moved back to their home community since moving to the city.

"Notwithstanding the sense of connection majorities of urban aboriginal peoples have to their communities of origin, the large majority of urban aboriginal peoples feel their current city of residence is home," the study said. "When asked 'where is home for you?' seven in 10 (71 per cent) UAPS participants say it is their current city of residence."

Native Canadians in 11 urban centres across the country participated in the study, which included person-to-person interviews conducted from March to October 2009. The Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study set out to examine the attitudes of native Canadians who call the city home. Non-aboriginal people were also interviewed in a separate poll.

Half of the country's 1,172,790 aboriginal Canadians lived in urban centres, according to the 2006 census. Nine in 10 of those interviewed in the study said they liked living in their city at least somewhat.

"Within [Canada's] cities, urban aboriginal peoples are seeking to become a significant and visible part of the urban landscape," the study said. "They like living in their cities and majorities feel they can make a positive difference in their urban homes. Notably, they are as likely as non-aboriginal people to feel this way."

Eighty-two per cent of participants said they were "very proud" of their specific aboriginal identity, that is, First Nations, Métis or Inuk. Slightly fewer — 70 per cent — said the same about being Canadian.

And most are confident that they can retain cultural ties in an urban setting. Six in 10 were completely or somewhat unworried about losing contact with their culture, while a minority were totally (17 per cent) or somewhat (21 per cent) concerned.

Perceptions of racism

Ashley Julian, Halifax
"It's so weird to say I'm an urban Aboriginal because no matter where I go, I continuously say I'm from Indian Brook and that's my home community. But when I'm talking to people from home, they ask where I'm from, I say that I'm from Halifax."

---

Damon Johnston, Winnipeg
"Self-determination, that is the motivating factor. So the question off-reserve and in cities is 'what form does that take over time?' We're not going to get there overnight but we're certainly on that path."

---

Tina Pisutkie, Montreal
"When my mother came to Montreal she didn't want to take the bus, she'd rather walk everywhere because she was afraid of white people. People who come here know about mainstream culture only by what they saw on TV."

Participants in the study did note, however, that while they have a strong sense of pride in their culture and their country, a majority continue to experience negative stereotypes.

"If there is a single urban aboriginal experience, it is the shared perception among First Nations peoples, Métis and Inuit, across cities, that they are stereotyped negatively," the report said. "Indeed, most report that they have personally experienced negative behaviour or unfair treatment because of who they are."

Almost nine in 10 of those native Canadians interviewed said they believe others behave unfairly or negatively toward aboriginal people. Seventy per cent said they had been teased or insulted because of their background.

Many of the aboriginal respondents also believe other Canadians hold negative stereotypes against them. Almost three in four perceive assumptions about addiction problems in the aboriginal community, while many felt negative stereotypes about laziness (30 per cent), lack of intelligence (20 per cent) and poverty (20 per cent).

One participant in the study said the stereotypes tend to be twofold — aboriginal peoples as both romantic ideals and troublemakers.

"There's that impression of [the] noble savage, there's like the exotic romantic view, and generally we're viewed as problematic," one participant said. "You know, blocking bridges, protesting and always looking for a free lunch."

In contrast, the survey of non-aboriginal city dwellers found generally good impressions of native Canadians. Researchers labelled 45 per cent of urban non-native Canadians as "cultural romantics" who believe in the artistic and cultural contributions of aboriginal people to Canadian society. As well, these survey respondents are optimistic that the lives of aboriginal people will improve in the next generation.

However, the survey found 24 per cent could be described as "dismissive naysayers" who tend to hold more negative impressions.

Education a top priority

Participants in the study were also asked about their goals, which closely mirrored those of many Canadians. For example, respondents said their top aspirations are to complete their education (28 per cent), start or raise a family (24 per cent) and have a satisfying career (22 per cent).

Many participants also saw education as a top priority for themselves and future generations, but reported financial cost as a major obstacle to post-secondary studies.

Schooling is also a top hope for future generations. When asked how they would like their children's and grandchildren's lives to be different from their own, one in five mentioned education. Slightly fewer hoped for a solid cultural connection (18 per cent) and a life without racism (17 per cent). 

The Environics Institute

The study suggests, however, that many aboriginal people are clearly concerned about how to pay for that future. Money was cited as the No. 1 barrier to getting a post-secondary education among 36 per cent of those planning to attend — and 45 per cent of those already enrolled in — a university or college.

Little faith in justice system

One out of every two urban native Canadians interviewed say they have had serious involvement with the Canadian justice system in the past decade: 52 per cent have been a crime witness or a victim, or have been arrested or charged.

Of these people, nearly four in 10 believe they have been treated unfairly by the system, while 57 per cent believed they received a fair shake.

The participants also tended to lack faith in the justice system. More than half of aboriginal respondents have little (33 per cent) to no (22 per cent) confidence, while six per cent have a great deal.

A majority of respondents — 56 per cent — supported the idea of creating an aboriginal-only justice system separate from mainstream Canadian courts.

Methodology

Researchers interviewed 2,614 status and non-status First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in 11 cities across Canada: Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Montreal, Toronto, Halifax and Ottawa (Inuit only), between March and October 2009. The one-on-one interviews lasted one to two hours or longer.
A separate telephone survey was conducted with 2,501 non-Aboriginal urban Canadians living in these same cities (except Ottawa) between April and May 2009. The results of this part of the survey are considered accurate to 2.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Urban natives content: study- Survey shows happiness in white society, lingering stereotype fears

OTTAWA -- Aboriginal people living in Canada's cities are generally happy, proud of their heritage and have the same desires to go to school, get good jobs, own a home and raise happy, healthy kids as anyone else.
But they still fear non-aboriginals see them as lazy, stupid and addicted to drugs and alcohol.
The findings are part of the Urban Aboriginal Peoples Survey, released Tuesday by the Environics Institute. It looked at how urban First Nations, Métis and Inuit people view themselves and how they are viewed by non-aboriginals. Environics conducted the survey between March and October 2009 using in-person interviews with 2,614 aboriginal Canadians in 11 cities, including Winnipeg. It also conducted a phone survey of non-aboriginals living in 10 cities, including Winnipeg.
"Much of what we found won't be particularly surprising to urban aboriginal communities, but there are a lot of surprises for the rest of us," said Keith Neuman, vice-president of public affairs with the Environics Research Group.
Those surprises likely include the fact most urban aboriginals consider the city they live in their home, have no desire to move back to their hometown or reserve, and are not all that worried about losing their cultural identity. They retain strong ties to their hometowns and their culture, but are almost equally proud to be Canadian.
They also reported similar aspirations to all Canadians for a good life, including getting an education, landing a good job, buying a home and starting or raising a family.
Urban aboriginals are generally more tolerant of other cultures and languages than non-aboriginals, but more than seven in 10 aboriginal people in cities feel they are viewed negatively by non-aboriginals. Almost three in four say other Canadians associate aboriginal people with drug and alcohol abuse, 30 per cent think they are perceived as lazy and 20 per cent believe they are seen as stupid or uneducated.
Andrew Bighetty, an outreach worker for homeless people at the Circle of Life Thunderbird House, said he is proud of his Cree heritage because it keeps him away from alcohol and a destructive lifestyle.
"It gives me life," he said. "Every morning, I take sage and purify my mind, my body, my spirit and my emotions and then I can speak to the Creator."
He said he doesn't worry about stereotypes and does his best to treat everybody he meets as an equal.
"I greet just about everybody I see on the street. I shake their hands, I hug them. I ask for a minute of their time and if they need help. A homeless person will always be polite to you and greet you with a hello. If they ask for assistance and I don't have it, they'll thank me just for greeting them," he said.
Non-aboriginals are also likely to see aboriginal Canadians as targets for discrimination, with 12 per cent of non-aboriginals saying discrimination is the leading issue affecting the quality of life for aboriginal Canadians. More than eight in 10 non-aboriginals surveyed felt aboriginal people experience discrimination.
However, more than half of non-aboriginals feel aboriginal people are discriminated against to the same degree or less than other cultural or ethnic groups in Canada, including Jews, Chinese, blacks, Pakistani/East Indians and Muslims.
Most non-aboriginal people in cities seem to know no or very few aboriginal people, with 87 per cent reporting no or few aboriginal friends and 84 per cent reporting no or few aboriginal co-workers.
Nearly half of non-aboriginals have never been to a reserve, and seven in 10 have never attended an aboriginal cultural ceremony. The most common exposure to aboriginal culture comes from television and the movies (83 per cent).
More than six in 10 urban aboriginals said they learned almost nothing about aboriginal culture in elementary school and almost half said that trend continued in high school.
Despite the increased attention given residential schools since Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized for the tragic policy in June 2008, almost half of non-aboriginals living in cities have neither heard nor read about Indian residential schools. Out of those that have, less than one-third think the schools are responsible for many of the problems and challenges currently faced by aboriginals in Canada.
That is a drastic difference from how urban aboriginals feel. More than two-thirds have been personally affected by residential schools, either attending themselves or having a family member or friend who did. Of those, half said the schools had a significant impact and 23 per cent said it had some impact.
Neuman said non-aboriginals who have heard of residential schools are generally "horrified." More schools are adding elements of aboriginal culture to the curriculum, but most Canadian adults were not exposed to much about residential schools or aboriginal culture in school.
Neuman said he hopes the survey will be seen as a positive story, and it will be used by both aboriginals and non-aboriginals alike to reframe how they think about each other.
"Aboriginals are living in cities because they want to," he said. "They are thriving."



The numbers

WINNIPEG ABORIGINAL
POPULATION

Total: 68,385 (9.8 per cent)
First Nations: 25,900 (3.7 per cent)
Métis: 40,980 (5.9 per cent)

-- Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

CANADA-WIDE SURVEY RESULTS

First-generation residents: 68 per cent

Number of years since moving to the city:
More than 20 years:
38 per cent
Less than five years:
24 per cent

Plans to move back to your hometown or reserve:
No: 50 per cent
Yes: 22 per cent
Don't know yet: 22 per cent

Reasons for moving to the city:
Family: 38 per cent
School: 37 per cent
Work: 37 per cent

Proud to be First Nations:
Very proud: 88 per cent
Somewhat proud: 11 per cent
Not proud: less than one per cent

Proud to be Métis:
Very proud: 77 per cent
Somewhat proud: 16 per cent
Not proud: three per cent

Proud to be a Canadian:
Very proud: 70 per cent
Somewhat proud: 18 per cent
Not proud: 8 per cent

Attended residential school:
Personally: 12 per cent
Family member or friend: 53 per cent
Neither: 30 per cent

Impact of residential schools:
Significant: 50 per cent
None: 12 per cent
Some/little impact: 33 per cent

Happiness of urban aboriginals:
Very happy: 58 per cent
Somewhat happy: 36 per cent
Not happy: 5 per cent

Life aspirations of urban aboriginals:
To complete education/degree: 28 per cent
Start/raise/provide for a family: 24 per cent
Career/job satisfaction: 22 per cent
Own a home: 19 per cent

Contact with the justice system in last 10 years:
At all: 69 per cent
As a victim: 30 per cent
Arrested: 27 per cent
Charged with a crime: 23 per cent
As a witness: 21 per cent
Work in system: 11 per cent
Feel justice system treats aboriginals unfairly:
52 per cent

Lack of confidence in the justice system:
52 per cent

I believe that discrimination against Aboriginals is what causes all the problems. They are discriminated against through the criminal justice system mainly. They are over-represented in Canada's prisons and are usually more likely to be arrested, charged, convicted and sentenced more harshly than White individuals charged with the same crime. This needs to change and we as a society, need to help these people overcome poverty, unemployment, addictions, family violence, etc.