Message on Red Dress Day

May 4, 2023

May 5 marks the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit People. Also known as Red Dress Day, this day honours the lives that have been violently taken, and is a reminder we must take action to end this ongoing national tragedy.

As an educational and research institution, Laurier takes seriously its responsibility to raise awareness of the colonial systems and systemic injustices that contribute to the violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls, and two spirit people.

We are grateful to the many scholars and practitioners at the university who work tirelessly to educate the public on this violence, discrimination and injustice, and influence policies and practices to directly address it. Dr. Percy Lezard was instrumental in the creation of the MMWIG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ national action plan; Dr. Lianne Leddy writes and speaks extensively on the impacts of colonialism in Indigenous communities; and Dr. Kathy Absolon and her team work to incorporate Indigenous knowledges and culturally-appropriate practices into social work, to name just a few. We recognize and thank all individuals at Laurier who engage in this difficult and important work.

Today, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives will hang red dresses around our campuses. We encourage all members in our community to engage in learning and reflection on this day. We commit to continuing to work to address the root causes of this violence and support those impacted by it.


Darren Thomas
Associate Vice-President: Indigenous Initiatives


Deborah MacLatchy
President and Vice-Chancellor