Winnipeg MP pushes ‘Red Dress’ alert system for missing, murdered Indigenous women
OTTAWA — A Manitoba MP is trying to create an alert system to notify the public when Indigenous women go missing — an endeavour she hopes will lead to fewer deaths and more safe reunions with loved ones.
“This is a critical initiative,” New Democrat MP Leah Gazan, who represents the riding of Winnipeg Centre, said last month as a House of Commons committee began studying her “Red Dress Alert” proposal.
“This is an initiative that will save lives.”
Gazan’s fellow MPs unanimously backed her motion last year declaring the deaths and disappearances of Indigenous women and girls a Canada-wide emergency. The motion also called for funding for a new alert system similar to those that exist for missing children and seniors.