FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2020
OTTAWA – The written decision released by Nunavut Justice of the Peace Joseph Murdoch-Flowers released on February 5th is very well received by Pauktuutit, Inuit Women of Canada. Working towards ending violence towards Inuit women and girls has been at the heart of Pauktuutit’s work since its inception 35 years ago.
The Justice wrote: “All who administer justice in Nunavut must be aware that our uniforms cloak us in that history, whether they are suits in a courtroom, or yellow stripes on police uniforms. Our actions can work towards reconciliation, or against it. To advance the work of reconciliation, we must consider the complex and ongoing relationship between law enforcement, courts, and Indigenous peoples in this country and in this territory”.
Pauktuutit acknowledges that it takes an enormous amount of courage for Inuit women to report physical and sexual abuse to policing services, particularly when there is a lack of infrastructure to provide timely access to safety and when the message received is, as the judge put it, “call us at your peril.”
“ The cases referenced by Justice of the Peace Joseph Murdoch-Flower once again highlight the urgent need for a full commitment from the federal government to implement the MMIWG Calls to Justice. We must work together to implement Inuit-led solutions in programs, services and legislation so that Inuit women and our children can finally live a life free of intergenerational trauma.” said President Kudloo.
Calls to address the critical need for access to safety for Inuit women and our children are included in Pauktuutit’s full policing report, to be released at Pauktuutit’s AGM later in February. The Report in Brief , with its 14 recommendations, can be downloaded from www.pauktuutit.ca.
Media Requests
Antoinette Brind’Amour, Director of Communications
abrindamour@pauktuutit.ca
C: 613-316-8943
T: 613-238-3977 ext. 267
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