International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: ONWA Stands with Indigenous Women

Thunder Bay, ON – On International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, ONWA stands with Indigenous women, families, and all communities impacted by racism and systemic discrimination.

Our recent work at the 145th United Nation (UN) Human Rights Committee reaffirmed a clear message: Indigenous women have inherent rights, and Canada must commit to working with us to ensure that our human rights are upheld.

ONWA calls attention to the ongoing racism and discrimination Indigenous women face across all systems we interact with. Our experiences must be understood through the intersecting impacts of racism, sexism, and discrimination we face as both women and as Indigenous Peoples.

Canada now has the opportunity to end discrimination against First Nations women and their descendants in the Indian Act by accepting the Senate’s amendments to Bill S-2 to end the second-generation cut-off.

Join us in signing the petition calling on Parliament to adopt Bill S-2 with the Senate’s amendments: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-7200

To read more about ONWA’s participation in the UN Human Rights Commission’s review of Canada, visit: https://www.onwa.ca/post/un-ccpr-2026

For more information and media inquiries, contact: 

Andre Morriseau, Communications Manager

Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA)

Email: amorriseau@onwa.ca

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