Honouring Red Dress Day: Their safety is our shared responsibility

May 4, 2025

Content warning: Colonial and gender-based violence.

Today, CMHA Ottawa joins CMHA Ontario and communities across the province to honour Red Dress Day: the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people (MMIWG2S).

Red Dress Day serves as a powerful reminder of the systemic violence and injustices experienced by Indigenous peoples. The red dress symbolizes the thousands of Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit individuals who are missing or have been lost to violence, a loss felt deeply across generations.

The ongoing crisis of MMIWG2S is closely tied to mental health. The trauma of violence, systemic discrimination and intergenerational impacts of colonialism have contributed to disproportionate rates of mental health challenges among Indigenous communities.

At CMHA Ottawa, we recognize that healing and mental health must be rooted in cultural understanding, equity, and community leadership.

We are committed to supporting Indigenous-led initiatives and offering culturally appropriate mental health services.

If you or someone you know is looking for support, check out this page to see resources available in the Ottawa area: First Nations, Inuit and Métis supports – CMHA Ottawa

We stand in solidarity today and every day with Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island.

Resources:

• National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• Native Women’s Association of Canada
• CMHA Ontario’s Commitment to Reconciliation

Learn more and take action

Ending the violence faced by Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people is not the work of a few, it demands all of us. True safety can only exist when entire communities take action, challenge systems of harm and uplift Indigenous leadership. This collective responsibility means advocating for justice for victims, survivors and their families.

The Canadian Mental Health Association, Ottawa Branch (CMHA Ottawa), is an independent, community-based non-profit organization that provides services for eligible individuals in the Ottawa area with severe and persistent mental illness and/or substance use disorder, many of whom are experiencing chronic homelessness or are vulnerably housed. CMHA Ottawa is dedicated to promoting good mental health, developing and implementing sustainable support systems and services, and encouraging public action to strengthen community mental health services and related policies and legislation.