Sisters in Spirit Vigil draws hundreds on Stephen Avenue to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women

Advocates for missing and murdered Indigenous women marched down Stephen Avenue toward city hall Sunday afternoon for the 22nd annual Sisters in Spirit Vigil, one of 300 such gatherings taking place across Canada as part of a national movement honouring lives lost to violence and systemic inequality.

Dr. Linda Manyguns, speaking at the vigil, said violence and abuse are a major crisis affecting entire populations, but Aboriginal women suffer the worst challenges—raising children amid discrimination and survival struggles. "We'll never ever forget and even though it gets kind of boring to some people, these are families that have lost their moms and women who have tried their best to take care of their children, who have had to do whatever was necessary to survive," Manyguns said.

Manyguns, whose own mother was on the streets and pregnant in Calgary, spoke from personal experience about the root causes. She called for government action at all levels, saying equal application of societal protections—extended to Indigenous people instead of being left out—is the solution the community is seeking.

Cynthia Hunter, a Sisters in Spirit member, described the group's role as a refuge for women with nowhere else to turn. "There was nowhere for the woman to go to say this happened to me, like, 'I was pushed out of a window, I was almost stabbed, (or) family members have families that are missing,' so they come to us and bring their stories so that we can go tell the general public," Hunter said. The group's biggest challenge remains securing government meetings and funding to support families through courtroom costs and trials.

Cheryl Wood, founder of MMIP Spirit Ride, emphasized the power of collective action. "Whether that is an event that has happened directly to them or the loss of a loved one, the motivation for them to come together and say, 'if this is happening to us, it's happening to others,' so I personally respect that courage," Wood said. She credited shared lived experience with giving people the bravery to speak up—a strength multiplied when masses gather together.