Shortly after sunset, hundreds of people gathered at Place des Arts in the wind and bitter cold to stand in solidarity with the indigenous women of Val d’Or. The northern Québec community was thrown into the national spotlight over a year ago when accusations first began to emerge that local indigenous women there had been abused and sexually assaulted by provincial police officers.
The drawn-out investigation into the allegations, conducted by Montreal police, was often derided for a lack of transparency and perceived biases and conflicts of interest. It was the decision last week from crown prosecutors to not press charges on a number of accused SQ officers that sparked this protest, the second of its kind since this saga began.
The demonstration was organized by several high profile groups across the city, like the Idle No More movement, the Québec Native Women's Shelter, and Amnesty International’s provincial branch in Québec. The organizers say real action is needed right now to address the problem of violence against women, and against indigenous women in particular.
Many here said they're encouraged to hear that the Premier is open to a public inquiry into the failures of the investigation into the crisis. But they say he needs to turn those words into action, and fast.