Hamilton protests missing and murdered aboriginal women

Hamilton's part in what's being billed as a national day of vigil for missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls was a muted affair, echoing the call to action that protesters say has gone unanswered.

Main Street between James and John Streets was blocked for the protest starting at 7 a.m. Saturday. Between police and city staff within sight of a ceremonial fire, the number of protesters nearly matched the number of service staff, totalling roughly a dozen.

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It's a number that protester and mother of seven, Amanda Dale, says should be greater.

"I know if it was Canadian women and children, 1,200, they would have been in shock if the government had of said no to an investigation. [But] 1,200 missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls is not an issue," she said.

Dale is Mohawk, and has married into a Six Nations family, and lives in east Hamilton. She's referring to an RCMP report from Commissioner Bob Paulson in May that called for an inquest into the missing women and girls, tallied at roughly 1,200 across the country.

"People don't value our women like they value Canadian women I'm hoping they will join us," Dale said from inside a teepee erected across the street from the John Sopinka Courthouse.

She was joined by three of her seven children, all girls under the age of four.

"We're asking for an inquiry and an independent commission so that we can bring closure to these families that lose their loved ones," Dale said while holding her youngest, six-month-old Iakori'wi:io. "We don't want them to be next."

The protest runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. It has shut down the streets, with Hamilton Police directing traffic, to ensure safety.