Morrison recognized with medal

Melanie Morrison describes the moment she received the King Charles III Coronation Medal as “bittersweet” – it was a profound acknowledgement of the work she’s done to fight for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S) people, but it was also an aching reminder of how much there still is to do.

“I had a lot of emotions about it,” she said. “It’s been such a battle, but to know that the efforts aren’t wasted, and there are people making sure that the horrible things being done to our people aren’t being forgotten.”

Morrison, who is currently a Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) chief, received word that she’d been chosen for the medal in June, news that she said was emotional to receive.

The medal is given by the Government of Canada to individuals who have made significant contributions to Canada or to their communities. Morrison was nominated for the award by senator Michele Audette, who is Innu, for her work on the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which Audette had contributed to as a commissioner. Since working together on the Inquiry, Audette and Morrison have maintained a close relationship.

Morrison provided advice to the national inquiry as a member of the National Family Advisory Circle, where she shared the story of her sister, Tiffany Morrison, who went missing in June 2006. Tiffany’s remains were found four years later, less than a kilometre from her home, and her family have never found answers – Melanie has advocated since that day to raise awareness for the crisis of MMIWG2S across Turtle Island, and for better supports to be in place for families seeking closure.

It was particularly meaningful, Melanie said, to have her husband and two daughters at the medal ceremony in Trois Rivieres last week, especially since her younger daughter had been too young to see much of the work her mother had done on the national inquiry at the time.

“She was so happy because it meant so much to us, and for her to finally be a part of something with the work I did, and still do, meant that she was just overjoyed that I was getting recognized,” Melanie said.

“A lot of what I do is to make life better for our women and girls, and my children and husband have watched over the years all the stuff that I’ve done from afar, so it was really uplifting and emotional to have them there.”

For Melanie, being recognized by the federal government is motivation to keep pushing for MMIWG2S.

“It’s completely horrible that the government has only done two out of the 231 Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry’s final report, but I took this as acknowledgement that the story of my sister and all the other women impacted by this is not being forgotten, and that I’m not just battling an unwinnable situation,” she said. “There is credibility to the work that’s being done.”

Being recognized in a public setting is hard for Melanie, but accepting the medal felt like a necessary step in continuing her life’s work, she said.

“I spent 19 years doing this on evenings, on weekends, even on my vacation time, always taking time away from my family, because I’m dedicated to this, not only because of my sister, but because of all the women and families I met across Canada doing this work,” she said.

She said that it’s important to remember that the staggering numbers of MMIWG2S represent an ongoing crisis, not a historical one, but that she’s hopeful that people like Audette can encourage change in the belly of the government, alongside the change that advocates like her continue to push for.

“The more people we can get at these higher levels to back what the impacted families and survivors are saying, the more pressure we can put on the powers that be to actually make the moves that are needed to make a better reality for our women,” she said.

“This really shows that if you’re fighting for a cause and your heart’s in it, you shouldn’t ever back down, because people are watching and listening.”

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