On Monday morning, community members gathered on Pelechaty Drive for a solemn ceremony ahead of the second annual Red Dress Day Walk in Portage la Prairie. Organized by the InSight Program through the Portage Friendship Centre, the event brought together individuals from all walks of life to honour and remember the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S).
After the opening ceremony, participants walked the Island Park loop, hanging red dresses from tree branches along the route as a public reminder of those who are gone but not forgotten.
Daphne Spence, InSight Program Coordinator with the Friendship Centre, notes the event is young but growing, and the Friendship Centre is committed to ensuring it becomes a lasting tradition of healing, advocacy, and education.
“It’s something that we’re going to continue. Every year, there are more people here, so awareness is being raised,” says Spence.
The visual impact of red dresses swaying in the trees has become a nationally recognised symbol of remembrance and resistance. The tradition began with 'The REDress Project', a 2010 art installation by Métis artist Jaime Black. The artist placed empty red dresses in public spaces as a haunting visual reminder of the Indigenous people who have gone missing or been murdered.
Red was intentionally chosen not only as a colour of blood and vitality, but because, in many Indigenous cultures, it’s believed red is the only colour spirits can see. The dresses are meant to call those spirits home. Over time, this art project evolved into a national movement that now fuels awareness walks like the one held on Monday.
Amid the solemn gathering, Jeanna Emms, Employment and Training Consultant with the Friendship Centre, says the walk was about justice for those who have been lost and those who continue to be overlooked.
“We’re here to let the community know that this hasn’t stopped, it’s still happening. Our women and men are more likely to go missing or be lost than any other demographic in Canada. So, we won't stop until it stops. For those who are missing, it was important that they hear us and know that we haven't forgotten and we're not going to let others forget,” says Emms.
Emms adds that true support means showing up—not just on Red Dress Day, but whenever Indigenous people face inequality.
“By attending events and activities like this, remembering and talking about them. Whenever you see injustice for these women and men, be an ally. If you’re not Indigenous, be an ally. That’s what we need."
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According to the Government of Canada, though Indigenous women and girls make up less than five per cent of the Canadian population, they account for roughly 26 per cent of all women killed by an intimate partner. In 2022, the homicide rate for Indigenous women and girls was more than six times higher than for their non-Indigenous counterparts. Additionally, over 60 per cent of Indigenous women report experiencing physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives.
Deb Parker, Elder and Eagles Fire Youth Centre Coordinator, speaks about the profound meaning behind the day. For her, the walk is more than an act of remembrance—it’s a call to confront the crisis that continues to devastate Indigenous communities.
“There are so many people affected in my community, and my community is not big. This is getting way out of hand. There are people suffering because they lost loved ones, and there are people who don’t even know where their loved ones went,” says Parker.
Parker sees the walk as a space where remembrance and education meet, with even the youngest beginning to understand the urgency of staying safe and the importance of staying connected.
“Who knows? I may go missing tomorrow. I have grandchildren, granddaughters especially, and great-grandchildren. That's why I'm speaking up. Because I don't want that to happen to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I'm always talking to them about this, they're old enough to know. Always get that information to your children,” continues Parker.
Real change, Parker insists, comes through unity and ongoing commitment from the community.
“Continue to do what we’re doing here; walk, awareness, education. Let’s do this together. Look at the diversity standing here today – this is what we need. This is what we want,” says Parker.
As the walk came to a close and the red dresses swayed gently in the trees, the message remained clear and unwavering: remembrance must be paired with action, and healing must be rooted in truth.
“We speak their names so they can finally rest as we walk in memory of the missing and murdered,” Parker says. “We honour their spirits. We acknowledge. We call for justice. Say their names. Carry their stories. Demand change.”