The United Church & a Call to Search the Landfill

                                 

                                        Credit: Art: (c) Ariwasabi | Dreamstime.com, (c) Slay19 | Dreamstime.com

Last week I wrote a blog entry about the calls to search a landfill in Manitoba for the remains of two Indigenous women were were murdered. I admitted that I wasn't sure if I supported this initiative while conceding that Indigenous leaders and others I respect feel is would be the moral and ethical thing to do. I wondered if the United Church of Canada would make a statement and hoped that it would. https://lionlamb-bowmanville.blogspot.com/2023/07/search-landfills.html

I received this UCC press release today and while I'm not sure it addresses my ambivalence I'm grateful that the United Church has issued a response. In the end I may realize that I've been wrong, but it won't be the first time. I figured I should share it with you, patient readers. 

The United Church Calls on Manitoba to Search the Landfill

Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were murdered in 2022, and their bodies were left in a Winnipeg landfill. Morgan and Marcedes’ families and communities have been calling for a search of the landfill ever since, and the province has refused. The federal government will not take action alone.

 Landfill searches for non-Indigenous murder victims have been successfully undertaken in the past, yet Manitoba remains unwilling to act in this case. This is an act of racism, and demonstrates a lack of humanity. It has emboldened others to commit racist acts against those calling for the basic dignity that has been afforded to others to be shown for Morgan and Marcedes.

 

The United Church of Canada believes that the inherent dignity of every human being must be respected. In life, and now in death, Morgan, Marcedes, and thousands of other missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two Spirit people have been denied the dignity and respect that they deserve.

 

In December 2022, the Rev. Michael Blair, General Secretary, wrote to Winnipeg Chief of Police Danny Smyth asking that he revisit his decision to not search the Prairie Green landfill at that time. The Prairie-to-Pine Regional Council has just released a statement calling for members to raise the issue with officials and contact their local MLAs.

We call on the government to bring Morgan and Marcedes home to their loved ones.

We are in solidarity with Camp Morgan and Camp Marcedes in Winnipeg. #SearchTheLandfill