The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs marked the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence with a call for urgent action by BC authorities.
On Tuesday, local time, the Union urged the Canadian province's government to move decisively to address gender-based violence and to work with survivors and families to implement Dr Kim Stanton's Final Report recommendations alongside the National Inquiry's Calls for Justice.
The UBCIC noted that Dr Stanton's report - Independent Systemic Review: The British Columbia Legal System's Treatment of Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence - was commissioned by the Province and "found overwhelmingly that gender-based violence is normalised and devalued in British Columbia".
By Resolution 2025-52, the Indigenous leaders' union "uplifts Dr Stanton's recommendation for gender-based violence to be declared an epidemic and systemic crisis as a critical framework and authoritative signal to support a cross-ministry and whole-of-government approach to raise public awareness, signal urgency, take action and accountability, and implement meaningful policy and legal recommendations with sufficient resourcing".
"We are clear that for a formal declaration to be impactful, it must go beyond recognition," the Union said in the joint statement.
"Government must work collaboratively to enact decisive action and tangible human rights policy and legislation such as public education, stabilising frontline supports, establishing an independent gender-based violence lead, and improving risk assessment, intervention and monitoring."
The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs declared it "stands with victims and survivors around the world who are targeted by oppression and violence, and we acknowledge the disproportionate rates of gender-based violence towards Indigenous women and girls and 2S+ in Canada".
"We urge the government of BC to act boldly to address the preventable and unacceptable crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit+ People (MMIWG2S+) which is devastating our families and communities," the Union said.
