Indigenous womens groups weigh in on troubles at Native Womens Association of Canada

The co-chair of Iskwewuk E-wichiwitochik (Women Walking Together) in Saskatoon says if the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) fails, it would set back their work and the MMIWG2S movement by 20 years. Darlene Okemaysim-Sicotte feels the organization which is under investigation for financial problems can be salvaged if it goes back to the basics and refocuses on its original mandate. She also says it should even consider shifting NWAC “out of eastern Canada to central Canada which is the hotspot for missing women.” “NWAC does have its own best practices, but maybe it’s a matter of downsizing the commitment to the original NWAC mandate.” Okemaysim-Sicotte says at one time, they would receive information in advance of initiatives NWAC was doing regarding violence against Indigenous women, their research activities and other community engagement and advocacy around human trafficking and domestic violence, but there’s been no activity for the last few years “in these parts.” Okemaysim-Sicotte also says NWAC would host a two day gathering in the west where they would introduce their CEO to them and other women’s organizations, but that hasn’t happened in recent years. She says there are many Indigenous people in the western part of the country who don’t even know what NWAC is and don’t recognize the acronym. In a statement released on Tuesday, NWAC says its current management has “discovered serious and significant financial irregularities which the Board of Directors were not aware of, requiring the organization to act.” The disclosure comes less than a week after APTN News reported the 50-year-old organization was selling off it’s assets including its elaborate building in Gatineau, Que., which is up for sale for just under $8 million. NWAC confirmed to APTN on Wednesday that its businesses located in the building have already closed. “More specifically, Café Bouleau, a commercial kitchen and Artisanelle boutique (all located at 120 Promenade de Portage). The event room rentals at the same address have been scaled back significantly and are still available on a case-by-case basis. These were all NWAC owned businesses, so no other organization(s) will be affected,” says the agency’s spokesperson, Jill McKenzie. The statement by NWAC also said it’s in the “process of divesting itself of properties that took resources away from our core purpose.” That statement also confirms NWAC is selling its so-called Resiliency Lodge in Chelsea, Que., and looking for potential buyers for its resiliency lodge in New Brunswick. According to the statement, money received from the sale of NWAC assets “will be used to re-invest in our mission as an advocate for the social, economic, cultural and political wellbeing of Indigenous women and their communities.” The statement goes on to say that “NWAC is fully cooperating with the Assessment and Investigation Services Branch of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) who are conducting an audit covering fiscal years 2018-2024. In May, serious questions were being raised about the organization. A Wolastoqey Elder who also sits on the board of directors wrote to a number of politicians including Indigenous Services Canada calling for an investigation into NWAC and it’s operations. According to a financial report it released on Wednesday NWAC received $24 million from 21 federal organizations and agencies in 2024. But according to the Canada Revenue Agency it hadn’t received NWAC’s financial statements for 2024, even though they were due by Mar. 31. Critic says something changed at NWAC in 2010 Among the MMIWG2S activists who has long been critical of NWAC is Bridget Tolley, an Algonquin community worker, and the founder of Families of Sisters in Spirit. “We were all working together, helping each other and doing the best we can. But then 2010 came and that’s when everything…, kind of fell apart because the Sisters in Spirit initiative was done and they said there’s no more Sisters in Spirit,” Tolley says of that period, as the federal government stopped its funding for the original initiative. “This is where it went bad too for NWAC because after that, after the Sisters in Spirit, I felt like they just wanted money,” says Tolley. “It was about the funding, getting the funding and it was no longer about the families or anything. “And NWAC always wanted to be the leaders and they didn’t want the families to be the leaders. And I said, well, it’s our voices, it’s our, this is about our family members and stuff.” However, in a perhaps significant move, NWAC has indicated they want to support Tolley’s group in its Oct. 4, 2025 vigil on Parliament Hill. “Last week they messaged me. So I was kind of shocked to see it because I didn’t expect, because they never helped me in 15 years and since 2010, so I never expected them to ask me now.” Despite NWAC’s troubles, at least one organization says it’s not worried about the direction of NWAC. Cheryl Alexander is the co-chair of Manitoba Moon Voices Inc. (MMVI), an NWAC Provincial Territorial Member Associate representing the interests of Indigenous women and gender diverse people of Manitoba. Alexander has been a member of the NWAC board of directors for the past 18 months and says MMVI fully supports the 50 year-old organization. “There has been some changes and we’re working through them,” she tells APTN. “We have to be mindful of lateral violence and not buying into that. “There’s been big changes in leadership and funding agreements.” According to Okemaysim-Sicotte, the investigation into NWAC has to be done with full accountability and transparency and any findings should not be swept under the rug by the federal ministries that support it. It’s not clear when the federal investigation will get underway, or when a report can be expected. “If it was to disintegrate, it would undo all the hard work that’s been going on for several decades. So I would really encourage whoever is going to be part of the process of investigating NWAC take that into account,” Okemaysim-Sicotte says. “There is a momentum keeping MMIWG at the forefront and my fear is that we’ll go back to being in the margins of these circles because it’s already happening with government mandates ending.” With files from Dennis Ward, Jesse Staniforth and Mark Blackburn Tags: #MMIWG #MMIW, Bridget Tolley, CIRNAC, Darlene Okemaysim-Sicotte, Families of Sisters in Spirit, Iskwewuk E-wichiwitochik, Native Women’s Association of Canada, NWAC, resiliency lodge, Sisters in Spirit, Wolastoqey elder Continue Reading