Emotional scenes at 3rd annual march for missing and murdered Indigenous men, boys and 2S+
There were emotional scenes Friday as the third annual march for missing and murdered Indigenous men, boys and two-spirit-plus people took place in Vancouver.
Attendees came to remember sons, brothers and friends who never came home.
Carol Nygaard was among them – there on behalf of two of her cousins’ sons who are missing.
They are Carl Schooner Jr., a Bella Coola man last seen in December 2022, and Miguel Mack, a Merritt resident who was last seen on Feb. 27, 2023. Earlier this year, investigators revealed that they suspect Mack was a homicide victim.
“It’s really hard,” Nygaard told CTV News before the march. “I can’t imagine what they’re going through. I just want to show my support today.”
People also travelled from other parts of the country.
They included Lydia Daniels, who flew in from Manitoba. Her son Colton Pratt was last seen in Winnipeg in 2014.
“For the families, we want to bring that awareness forward,” Daniels said of the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys. “Because they’re important too. And our men and boys matter as well.”
Curtis Ahenakew was one of the organizers of the event – inspired to take action after his friend Neil Stonechild froze to death in 1990 following a so-called “Starlight Tour,” in which police in Saskatoon were accused of driving Indigenous men to the edge of town and dropping them in freezing cold temperatures.
Following an inquiry by the Saskatchewan government, two officers were fired.
“It’s a celebration of honouring our people that have gone missing,” Ahenakew told CTV News before the march. “It sounds strange to say. But that’s what we’re doing. We’re bringing a good positive message today, but the truth – it’s continuing to happen.”
And while support for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls has been in focus in recent years – the profile hasn’t been so high when it comes to Indigenous men and boys.
The march started at the Vancouver Police Department's headquarters before going over the Cambie Street Bridge and wrapping up in Creekside Park.
The event also featured the arrival of a canoe transporting sweetgrass, symbolizing medicine and healing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump's Madison Square Garden event features crude and racist insults
Donald Trump took the stage Sunday night at New York’s Madison Square Garden to deliver his campaign's closing argument with the election nine days away after several of his allies used crude and racist insults toward U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and other critics of the former president.
B.C. election results: Mail-in ballots heavily favour NDP, only absentee ballots left to count
The majority of mail-in ballots tallied this weekend for the final count in B.C.’s nail-bitingly close 2024 provincial election went to the NDP, increasing the party’s chances of clinching a third term.
Here's when you need to change your clock back
Millions of Canadians will notice their clocks turn back by one hour on Nov. 3, marking the end of daylight saving time this year.
New polls show Sask. NDP leading over Sask. Party ahead of election day
A pair of new pre-election polls indicate that the Saskatchewan NDP has a slight lead ahead of election day.
17-year-old charged for driving 188 km/h on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
A 17-year-old Ottawa driver was caught speeding nearly 90 km/h over the speed limit on Highway 417.
Hollywood star Victor Garber gets emotional after surprise meeting with his former teacher in London, Ont.
Victor Garber got teary-eyed when he walked into a brunch in his honour Sunday in London, Ont.
Another bumpy week ahead as Trudeau faces deadlines from Liberal MPs, Bloc
Another week, another raft of imminent challenges to Justin Trudeau's leadership of both the country and the Liberal Party.
He lost a finger and survived a kidnapping. Then, this climber took on a 9,000-foot 'death-trap'
With jaw-dropping big wall ascents and a life packed with adrenaline and adventure, climber Tommy Caldwell has had a career worthy of – and captured by – a feature film.
How to make sure your used clothes go to the right place – and not to organized crime
Giving away used clothes for a second life feels like an act of charity – and it often is. But it’s become more complicated. A W5 investigation has discovered allegations that organized crime players are muscling in on charities to access their donation bins.