Please note: The following article addresses topics that may be distressing to some readers. For immediate emotional assistance, call 1-844-413-6649. This is a national, toll-free 24/7 crisis line providing emotional support to anyone requiring assistance related to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Canada. The Hope for Wellness is also available by toll-free helpline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat at www.hopeforwellness.ca. This service is available 24/7 in English, French, Cree, Ojibwe, and Inuktitut.
Tomorrow, Red Dress Day, is the day dedicated across Canada and around the world to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, and LGBTQIA+ (MMIWG2S+) people and to take action to end this centuries-old genocide.
PSAC BC offers its unwavering support to those who are grieving lost loved ones, and we stand in solidarity with those who have come forward and continue to fight for equity, justice, and non-violence.
First Nations, Inuit, and Métis women, girls, Two-Spirit, and LGBTQIA+ people have a right to be safe, to thrive, and to have connection to culture, community, and land. Yet, these rights continue to be undermined by historic and ongoing racist, sexist, colonial systems.
We cannot stand by as Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and LGBTQIA+ people continue to be disproportionately affected by violence. We must be united in our work. Together, we call on employers to prioritize First Nations, Inuit, and Métis women, girls, Two-Spirit, and LGBTQIA+ people’s safety. We call on the government to advance and implement the Reclaiming Power and Place Calls for Justice. And we invite PSAC BC members to wear red, participate in Red Dress Day events, and continue their learning, unlearning, and activism.
In solidarity,
Jamey Mills
Regional Executive Vice-President
PSAC BC
Red Dress Day events in BC:
Abbotsford Red Dress Day Ceremony
Date: May 5, 2026
Time: 10 AM – 2 PM
Location: Mill Lake Park (2310 Emerson St, Abbotsford)
Duncan’s Gone But Not Forgotten MMIWG Walk/Run
Date: May 5, 2026
Event Registration: 9 AM
Event Opening: 11 AM
Location: Si’em Lelum (5574 River Road, Duncan)
Kamloops Red Dress Day with Angela Sterrit
Date: May 5, 2026
Time: 10 AM – 2 PM
Location: Moccasin Square Gardens (357 Chief Alex Thomas Way, Kamloops)
New Westminster Red Dress Day Ceremony
Date: May 5, 2026
Time: 1 PM – 3 PM
Location: Hyack Square (796 Columbia St, New Westminster)
Pitt Meadows Red Dress Day Ceremony
Date: May 5, 2026
Time: 1 PM
Location: šxʷhék̓ ʷnəs (Spirit Square) (11985 Harris Rd, Pitt Meadows)
Learning Resources:
Please note that the following resources are not an exhaustive list and we invite members to seek out and share additional learnings.
- The REDress Project, Jaime Black
- Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
- Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls, Assembly of First Nations
- Manitoba-Wide Red Dress Alert System Pilot Project Final Report, Giganawenimaanaanig
- Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan
- Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People, Canadian Human Rights Museum
Photo credit: The MMIWG2S design featured on the shirt in the above image was created by Chantelle Trainor-Matties. Chantelle did her own take on the red handprint, a symbol for MMIWG2S. Within the handprint is a human face; the face could be anyone, crying for their grandmothers, mothers, sisters, daughters, nieces, their family who have gone missing, who have been murdered, who are not forgotten, who need justice.