Written by Alisha Ostberg and edited by Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi
Table of Contents
On Red Dress Day—Canada’s National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People—we honour the lives stolen and commit to action that supports safety, dignity, and justice. Red dresses, hung in windows and public spaces, are a visual reminder of those who are missing and the systemic change that is urgently needed.ⁱ
Today also provides an opportunity to highlight movements like the Moose Hide Campaign, which work alongside calls for justice by encouraging people—especially men and boys—to take active roles in ending gender-based violence. For organizations engaged in public health and HIV prevention, it’s a critical moment to reflect on how violence, discrimination, and colonialism are inseparable from health outcomes.
I remember in 2013 having my first event with the Moosehide Campaign with decades long advocate, family member and Elder, Ruth Scalplock. Since then, I have continued to give out Moosehide pins and have folkx pledge with them. That’s at least 12 years of local impact on the topic of violence against Indigenous Peoples’, Indigenous education, Treaty partnership and now opportunity to talk about the 94 Calls to Action, the 231 Calls to Justice, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples’ (RCAP) locally and nationally.
— Michelle Robinson, Native Calgarian Podcast
When I see them on people, I feel like there is a person who has tried to learn more, be a better Treaty partner and start on reconciliation. I hope one day, it is as common as a Canadian Flag Pin. I also hope more Canadians promote and 231 Calls to Justice to stop this violence against Indigenous Peoples.’
The Moose Hide Campaign: Community-Driven Prevention
The Moose Hide Campaign began in 2011 when Paul Lacerte, a member of the Carrier First Nation, and his daughter, Raven, went hunting along BC’s Highway 16—infamously known as the Highway of Tears. Disturbed by the ongoing violence against Indigenous women along that road, they cut a square of moose hide and made a vow: to do everything they could to stop the violence.¹
What started as a small gesture has become a national campaign that brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous people across Canada, from community groups and schools to police forces and government offices.²
Through school-based learning journeys, workplace materials, youth challenges, and annual public events, the campaign encourages conversations about respect, accountability, and masculinity.³ As of 2024, more than four million moose hide pins have been distributed.²
Understanding the MMIWG Crisis
The crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) is one of Canada’s most urgent human rights issues. Indigenous women make up a disproportionate number of homicide victims: 16% between 1980 and 2012, despite accounting for only 4% of the female population.⁴
In 2019, after years of advocacy, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released its final report. It concluded that this crisis constitutes a “race-based genocide” rooted in colonial violence, systemic racism, and social exclusion.⁵ The report’s 231 Calls for Justice urge sweeping changes in justice, child welfare, healthcare, education, and public awareness.⁶
More recently, cases that targeted and killed multiple Indigenous women have illustrated just how far Canada still must go.⁷
Gender-Based Violence as a Health Equity Issue
For public health professionals and HIV service organizations, violence against Indigenous women is not just a justice issue—it’s a health issue. Experiences of violence are linked to higher rates of HIV and Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infections (STBBIs), mental health challenges, substance use, and chronic conditions.⁸
These outcomes are shaped by social determinants of health: poverty, unsafe housing, racism in healthcare systems, and a lack of access to culturally safe services.⁹ Structural violence—from colonial policies to contemporary discrimination—creates conditions where Indigenous women are disproportionately exposed to both harm and exclusion from care.
Red Dress Day and the Role of the Moose Hide Campaign
While Red Dress Day commemorates the lives lost and shines a light on the MMIWG crisis, the Moose Hide Campaign focuses on prevention by changing attitudes, promoting accountability, and creating community norms that support safety and dignity.²
Join the Movement: Calgary Walk on May 15
There’s a powerful opportunity to turn awareness into action by joining the Moose Hide Campaign Walk in Calgary on Thursday, May 15 at 1 PM, starting from The Confluence.
The walk invites people of all backgrounds to stand together in ending violence against women and children. Supported by TELUS and attended by members of SafeLink Alberta, the event is a collective show of commitment to justice and healing.
We encourage our staff, supporters, and community members to participate and help amplify the message that safety is a human right and a health priority.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/moose-hide-campaign-2025-walk-to-end-violence-in-calgary-tickets-1325861530529
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Bibliography
1. Moose Hide Campaign. “The Story of the Moose Hide Campaign.” Accessed May 5, 2025. https://education.moosehidecampaign.ca/issue/
2. Moose Hide Campaign. “About the Moose Hide Campaign.” Accessed May 5, 2025. https://moosehidecampaign.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Two-Page-1.pdf
3. Moose Hide Campaign. “Campaign Day.” Accessed May 5, 2025. https://moosehidecampaign.ca/campaignday/
4. Native Women’s Association of Canada. “Fact Sheet: Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women and Girls.” Accessed May 5, 2025. https://www.nwac.ca/assets-knowledge-centre/Fact_Sheet_Missing_and_Murdered_Aboriginal_Women_and_Girls.pdf
5. National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. “Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report.” Accessed May 5, 2025. https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/
6. National Inquiry into MMIWG. “Calls for Justice.” Accessed May 5, 2025. https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Calls_for_Justice.pdf
7. Leyland Cecco. “Canada Pledges C$40m to Search Landfill for Remains of Two Indigenous Women.” The Guardian, March 25, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/25/indigenous-women-landfill-canada
8. National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health. “Understanding Indigenous Health Inequalities Through a Social Determinants Framework.” Accessed May 5, 2025. https://www.nccih.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/10373/Health_Inequalities_EN_Web_2022-04-26.pdf
9. National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health. “Social Determinants of Health.” Accessed May 5, 2025. https://www.nccih.ca/28/Social_Determinants.nccah