National Family and Survivors Circle Inc. Welcomes Progress Towards Implementing the Red Dress Alert

Ottawa, May 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ People, the National Family and Survivors Circle Inc. (NFSC Inc.) acknowledges new federal funding to advance a Red Dress Alert pilot, while emphasizing the need for sustained, long-term investments in prevention and efforts that address the root causes of this crisis.

Red Dress Day is a significant moment to raise awareness, honour, and remember the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people. It is a time to reflect on the ongoing impacts of this crisis and to reaffirm a collective commitment to ending the violence.

Across the country, families and survivors gather with allies and communities to honour and remember their loved ones, and to call for meaningful action to end this ongoing crisis.

The announcement of $300,000 to support the Red Dress Alert pilot builds on the federal government’s broader commitment of $35 million annually toward gender- and race-based violence prevention, including efforts to address the MMIWG2S+ crisis. While these investments mark important progress, NFSC Inc. stresses that meaningful change requires coordinated, urgent, and sustained action that both responds to immediate risks and addresses underlying systemic issues.

NFSC Inc. also acknowledges the federal government’s commitment to supporting the organization’s ongoing work, recognizing the critical role of Indigenous-led organizations in ensuring that families and survivors remain at the center of efforts to address this crisis.

“Responding to the MMIWG2S crisis requires comprehensive investment in prevention, coordinated across all levels of government, industry, regulators and those directly impacted, to stop violence before it occurs and to address the root causes that allow it to persist,” said Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, President of NFSC Inc.

In accepting the Sacred Bundle, the Prime Minister affirmed that our actions must match our words and our commitments. Advancing reconciliation requires prioritizing the Calls for Justice and creating the conditions for renewal and resurgence. Progress must never come at the cost of safety, and collaboration must be grounded in accountability that leads to meaningful and lasting results.

As national attention turns to accountability and reconciliation, commitments must translate into measurable outcomes. Advancing the Calls for Justice, addressing systemic inequities, and ensuring the safety of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people must remain a national priority.

The roadmap for action already exists in the Calls for Justice, which provide a clear and comprehensive framework:

• Calls for Justice 1.5 to 1.7 outline the responsibility of governments to end the MMIWG2S+ crisis, including implementing critical systems such as the Red Dress Alert.
• Calls for Justice 13.1 to 13.5 direct industry to ensure resource development protects communities and shares benefits equitably.

“The collective action of all Canadians is needed to make the safety of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people an absolute national priority. The voices of families, survivors, and loved ones must remain centred in every decision that affects them,” Anderson-Pyrz added.

NFSC Inc. is committed to working alongside all partners and stakeholders, recognizing that we all have a role to play and that we are all part of the solution in bringing an end to this ongoing genocide.

About the National Family and Survivors Circle Inc.

The National Family and Survivors Circle Inc. (NFSC Inc.) is a legally incorporated, non-profit organization of Inuit, Métis, and First Nations women with diverse lived experiences. NFSC Inc. works to ensure that families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, survivors of gender-based violence, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people are at the center of all efforts to implement the 231 Calls for Justice, the National Action Plan on MMIWG2S+, and the Federal Pathway.

Website: https://familysurvivorscircle.ca

CONTACT: Colton Praill
spark* advocacy
613-875-4320
[email protected]

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