On September 5, 2025, the BCFNJC Women’s Team gathered in circle in Vancouver to honor our Steering Committee matriarchs, whose wisdom continues to guide the Indigenous Women’s Justice Plan (IWJP).
The BCFNJC Women’s Team came together in the spirit of weaving the basket and paddling the canoe as one (implementation planning-action). This gathering was not only about tasks or timelines but about honoring the sacred responsibilities we carry for our women, our 2SLGBTQIA+ relatives, our youth, and for those yet to be born.
At the center of our circle, we raised our hands to our Steering Committee matriarchs, whose wisdom and steady guidance continue to light our path. Their voices are like the strong cedar roots holding our basket together. We also welcomed many powerful Indigenous women and youth, alongside our government partners, who joined us with open hearts, minds and ears, ready to listen and to paddle with us.
Together, we turned our focus to the ready to pick berries (focus strategies) – the strategies that call for our immediate care and action: addressing the harms of man camps and resource extraction, building crisis response rooted in community strength, and advancing legislation and policy that protect our women and kin. These conversations were hard, necessary, and deeply grounded in our shared responsibility to move from planning into true implementation.
- Strategy 8: Man Camps, Resource Extraction and Land Exploitation
- Strategy 9: Crisis Response
- Strategy 15: Legislation and Policy (as it relates to Strategy 8 & 9)
We ensured a chair was set with a red dress, a powerful reminder that our ancestors and loved ones who are no longer here in body are always with us in spirit. That empty chair reminded us of who we do this work for – those we’ve lost, those still with us, and those yet to be born.
This gathering was more than a meeting. It was a circle of voices, weaving wisdom, and a reminder that when we paddle together, we move stronger and closer toward safety, dignity, and justice for all our women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ relatives.
