Violence against women was the focus of a panel at the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour convention in Regina on Wednesday.
Featured speakers included Jaquiline Anaquod, a local organizer for the Sisters in Spirit movement and Barb Byers, newly elected secretary treasurer for the Canadian Labour Congress.
The congress has long supported a national inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women and Byers made another pitch on Wednesday.
She also talked about domestic violence and what the labour movement can do to reduce it.
To that end, the CLC has conducted a national in depth survey of about 8,500 workers.
The results will be released in late November.
“When the results of the survey come out we will be looking at long term objectives,” she says. “What is it we need to ask from legislators, what is it we need from bargaining, what is it we need in our communities, how do we stop violence against women?”
Byers also says it is a disgrace that a national inquiry has still not been called into missing and murdered Aboriginal women.
Jaquiline Anaquod talked about the slow progress in reducing domestic violence against Aboriginal women and the stereotypes that continue to be portrayed in the media.
She says First Nations need to look back in order to move forward.
“And I really think that when we go back to who we really truly are as Indigenous people, that is what is going to lead us, that is what is going to be keep us grounded, that is what is going to keep our families together in happy, healthy, vibrant communities,” she says.
The SFL convention wraps up on Saturday with elections.