Critical Discourse, Critical Action: An Analysis of Federal Discourse and Action in Response to the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

Abstract

Violence against Indigenous women and girls is an unacceptable tragedy in Canada. The 2019 Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls concluded Canada is guilty of "a race-based genocide of Indigenous Peoples ... which especially targets women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people." Using an intersectional feminist research ethic, I undertake a critical discourse analysis to determine in what ways key concepts such as national myth, dismissals of harm against Indigenous peoples, and conceptualizations of genocide influenced the reactions of the five major federal political parties to the Final Report. I review the parties' respective commitments to action by analyzing their 2021 electoral platforms and compare their discourse in the wake of the release of the Final Report with their official platform commitments. In essence, the research's empirical contribution shows an enabling self-confirming relationship between the key concepts present in political discourse in response to the Final Report and a political party's path forward when it comes to addressing violence against Indigenous women and girls.