Manitoba counting on Indigenous matriarchs to help guide MMIWG2S strategy

Manitoba's families minister is bringing some trusted advisers with her to the provinciallegislature.

Nahanni Fontaine has enlisted a 18-member team ofIndigenous women, girls and two-spirit individuals to offer their expertise and advice.

The Matriarch Circle, which met for the first time Thursday, will guide Fontaine's department on the formation of Manitoba's first strategy around missingand murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. Their input will be welcomed,the minister announced.

"This space was never meant for Indigenous women," Fontaine told reporters outside the legislative chamber.

"This is an opportunity to claim space and reclaim space, but alsointhemidstofan ongoing genocide against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited, it'saway to, symbolicallyinmany ways, say that enough is enough," she added.

"We're taking up our space. We're taking up our rightful place."

The unpaid group, which includesactor and former Churchill MP Tina Keeper and knowledge keeper Karen Swain,will meet at least twice a year.

Members come from a range of backgrounds, including people of Afro-Indigenous, Anishinaabe, Anisininew, Cree, Dakota, Dene, Inuit and Mtisdescent. They're knowledgekeepers, authors, artists, actors, athletes and storytellers, the province said in a news release.

Preventing future tragedies

Issues like the ongoing call for a landfill search for the remains of two First Nations womenwon't be on their agenda, Fontaine said, but rathera focus on stopping future tragedies from happening.

"Ultimatelyattheendoftheday, our government wants to prevent any more MMIWG2S," the minister said.

"There's also an opportunity andafundamental need for us to also celebrate Indigenous women, to also highlight and lift up alloftheamazing work that Indigenous women are doing."

Cora Morgan, the government's special adviser on Indigenous women's issues, said it makes sense for the government tocentreIndigenous perspectivesin this work.

"Historically and partofour traditional waysofbeing, it was womenwho hadafinal sayininchanges that were to be made," she said.

"Now that we have this new government, we havealotof Indigenous people who are representing, it was appropriate that we had them guidingtheway for strategiesonMMIWG andtheprotectionofwomen and girls."