By Caitlin Brezinski

Tears shed at aboriginal candlelight vigil

Oct 3, 2014 | 5:04 PM

A Sisters in Spirit candlelight vigil representing missing and murdered aboriginal women brought community members together in Prince Albert on Friday.

Lorraine Vandall, an elder and cultural support worker for the Friendship Centre, said it’s important to hold the vigils so there can continue to be awareness.

“When it’s out of sight, out of mind, things get progressively worse if they’re not brought to the forefront,” she said.

Donna Soles has been doing the candlelight vigils for the past seven years.  She said right now, there are more than 1,000 missing women registered.  Since 2005, they have been pushing the government to do a national inquiry. 

“It keeps getting put away to the side and we still keep pushing and pushing that it needs to be a public awareness that these girls are missing,” she said.

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Petitions were set up for people to sign to be sent to the government.  After the candles were lit and set on a table, people had the opportunity to share their stories.  Vandall spoke about a girl she had befriended when she was younger.

“She ended up growing up and she was stabbed here in the northern part of the community and she was stabbed, somebody said 50 times, I don’t know,” she said.

Vandall said the public and government seem to not address the issue as seriously as it should be treated.

“If a dog is found, cut up, thrown in the lake or something, and people know about it, there’s outrage.  But there’s native women dying in that process and it almost seems like it’s not being addressed.  What’s happening here?” she said.

Vandall said the issue cannot keep being ignored and has to be brought to the forefront.

“These are human beings … but there’s some kind of sensitivity chip missing with first nations people, especially aboriginal women. And I question that. There has to be more awareness because this is not a racial issue. This is a human issue. It should not happen to anybody and we should not stand silent.”

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