THUNDER BAY – May 5, 2025 – On this Red Dress Day, as Canada reflects on the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S+), including the increasingly staggering number of indigenous Men and Boys in Thunder Bay’s chapter of Lynx Clan Watch is expanding the conversation to include the often-invisible toll that colonial violence and generational trauma continue to take on Indigenous mental health.
In alignment with Mental Health Week, and echoing this year’s Canadian Mental Health Association theme, “Unmasking Mental Health,” Lynx Clan Watch is urging Indigenous women to reflect on how trauma, societal expectations, and lived experiences have shaped the invisible “masks” they wear for protection. The grassroots, Indigenous-led group is encouraging community members to gently begin the process of unmasking, reclaiming sacredness, and embracing culturally grounded paths to healing.
Red Dresses and Unseen Wounds
As red dresses and men and boys Ties/bolos wave in the wind across Thunder Bay and beyond, symbolizing lives lost and voices silenced, Lynx Clan Watch is reminding the community that the trauma extends beyond the physical. Mental health struggles, often unspoken, are deeply connected to the crisis of MMIWG(MB)2S+ and must be addressed through culturally informed, trauma-aware approaches.
“Many Indigenous women carry invisible burdens—survival mechanisms shaped by violence, racism, and systemic neglect,” commented Lynx Clan Watch Founder Amanda Perreault. “On this Red Dress Day, we are also honouring the women and men who are still here—fighting daily battles that others can’t see.”
Unmasking Through Culture and Connection
As part of its Red Dress Day and Mental Health Week programming, Lynx Clan Watch will host the “Indigenous Women’s Health Talk”, a virtual webinar on Tuesday, May 6, exploring how the concept of “masking” appears in daily life, and how women can begin to unmask through self-reflection, cultural practices, and community support.
The talk will stream live across the group’s Facebook and YouTube channels, and will feature teachings from Elders, lived-experience advocates, and Indigenous mental health professionals.
Topics will include:
• Culturally rooted self-care
• Intergenerational healing
• Traditional medicine and mental wellness
• Safe spaces for Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ voices
Mental Health, Colonialism, and the MMIWG(MB)2S+ Crisis
Lynx Clan Watch stresses that Indigenous mental health cannot be separated from the broader realities of colonialism, systemic racism, and ongoing policy failure. As they call for the full implementation of the 231 Calls for Justice from the 2019 National Inquiry into MMIWG, they also call for an intersectional approach that addresses mental wellness as a critical component of justice.
“When we talk about MMIWG(MB)2S+, we must talk about depression, anxiety, addiction, disconnection, and suicide and why the 231 Calls to Action concluded genocide—because these are all symptoms of the violence,” said Amanda Perreault, Founder. “If we want safety for our communities, we must also fight for the healing.”
A Thunder Bay Perspective
Thunder Bay has been a focal point in the national MMIWG2S+ conversation due to its disproportionate number of cases, many of which remain unresolved.
Lynx Clan Watch continues to advocate for:
• Trauma-informed policing and investigative reforms
• 24/7 Indigenous-led mental health supports
• Youth-focused land-based healing programs
• Long-term, culturally based care systems accessible in the North
How You Can Participate Today
🔴 Wear red in honour of MMIWG(MB)2S+
👗 Hang a red dress in your window or yard
🕯 Attend a local vigil or awareness event
🧠 Participate in Lynx Clan Watch’s Indigenous Women’s Health Talk on May 6
📚 Share and read the 231 Calls for Justice
💬 Have open conversations about mental health in your family or workplace
💸 Support Indigenous-led organizations with prayer
A Final Word: Honouring the Living and the Lost
Red Dress Day is not only about remembrance—it’s about survival. Lynx Clan Watch reminds the community that healing is revolutionary and reclaiming mental wellness is a sacred act of resistance.
“Every time we speak our truth, every time we choose culture over silence, we honour our ancestors—and ourselves,” said Perreault. “Today, we mourn. Tomorrow, we heal.”
