August 22, 2017
By Tuesday of the Leg 9 C3 journey, we had gotten used to the disconcertingly loud boom-crunch as the ice hit the bow of the Polar Prince, and the sway of the ship that accompanied it, and then just like that, the ice was gone. As we sailed down the west side of the Boothia Peninsula to King William Island, we found ourselves in calm water devoid of ice, and few views to see. So we shifted into on-board programming mode to continue our learning into the C3 themes. Charlene Bearhead presented her work as the Education Coordinator for the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls – I can’t imagine a tougher assignment as an educator. She spoke eloquently of the many themes that have been featured in the education guide, entitled Their Voices Will Guide Us, which has been created with the spirit of these women in mind.  Over 107 reports and inquiries have been conducted on missing and murdered Indigenous women, with over 1000 recommendations, and to date few have been implemented. Charlene spoke movingly about women she has known who have been murdered or gone missing, and described how in some cases, little has been done to investigate their disappearance. The educational materials, due out in early September, will help all of us better understand this national tragedy, and help us move from reconciliation to reconciliACTION – taking concrete actions towards reconciliation with indigenous people in our families, schools and communities.
The second highlight of the day was doing a Facebook Live session with our three youth ambassadors to highlight their special contributions to the journey. With a beautiful sun set in the harbor of Gjoa Haven behind us, these young women told us more about themselves, and what they were learning on Leg 9. It did give me pause to consider how many Indigenous girls and young women might still be with us to make their own important contributions if only our nation had taken action on the recommendations of these previous reports and inquiries generations earlier.  Working towards implementing the recommendations of the National Inquiry, when they are ready, will be critical work that all Canadians need to take on.
