The missing and murdered Indigenous women’s event planned for Saskatoon tomorrow is growing larger by the moment.
Blake Sittler with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon says more than 200 people have now signed up to attend.
He says the church organizations expect to hear about the connection between residential schools and the murdered and missing Indigenous women crisis.
“Definitely some of the Churches recognize that we played a role in those residential schools,” says Sittler. “So we recognize that we hopefully can try to play a role in healing that, as a form of almost reconciliation, of penance. How can we help? How can we walk with you?”
There are about 1,200 known cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada.
A wide range of groups have made calls for a public inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women.
Sittler says at first they supported the call but now want to hear what Indigenous people have to say about the inquiry.
“I know there is a lot of concern about the cost of it but it has the ability to call people to account to sort of say this is how its been dealt with in the past by the police force the RCMP,” he says. “And here is how we can make some changes and to a certain extent, and unfortunately, it’s the money that’s going to make people say, ‘Okay we got to pay up and pay attention here’.”
The churches involved include the Anglican, Lutheran, Mennonite, Presbyterian and Ukrainian Catholic churches and the Saskatoon Native Ministry.
The event will start Saturday morning at the Mayfair United Church.