Wellness support available for MMIWG family members reading the inquiry's final report

Aftercare should not be an afterthought.

That's the messagea networkof support workers from across the countryis sending as theloved onesof missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls beginto absorb the final report of the national inquiry, released officially on Mondayat a ceremony in Gatineau, Que.

"[The report] opens up all the wounds again ... all of usneed to takecare of each other," said Marie Sack, a Mi'kmaw community outreach specialist from Sipekne'katik First Nation in Nova Scotia, who attended the ceremony Monday.

Sack is part of Nova Scotia's Family Information LiaisonUnit (FILU), agroup of specialists that serve as abridge between the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls andprovincial governments. Shesaid the closing ceremony was an emotional reminder of what the families have been through, and what's stillto come.

"It's going to take [families] months to read even one sectionof this report, and that could be very painful, opening up their old wounds,"Sack said.

She said that not knowing what willcome from the report's releaseandhow the country will respond its calls for justicecan also worsen anxiety for those that testified.

"There's still people wondering what's actually going to happen. They gave their truth, and that was hard. Now what will the government do with it?"

Sack said she'll be recommending that familiesread the report"one step at a time,"section by section, and to seek any mental and emotional wellness supports available in their region.

"It's worth the read," she said.

"There are a lot of difficult things in it, but there's also a lot of good in it."

Support resources available

For immediate mental and emotional wellness support, the MMIWG NationalInquiry'stoll-free support phone line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 1-844-413-6649. The service is available in English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut.

Mental health counselling and community-based cultural support services have been made available through the inquiry process through Indigenous Services Canada, and are still available.Local Indigenous organizations co-ordinate the service of Elders, traditional healers and community-based support workers.

For information on how to access theseservices:

• Atlantic: 1-866-414-8111
• Quebec: 1-877-583-2965
• Ontario: 1-888-301-6426
• Manitoba: 1-866-818-3505
• Saskatchewan: 1-866-250-1529
• Alberta: 1-888-495-6588
• Northwest Territories, Nunavutand Yukon: 1-866-509-1769
• British Columbia: 1-877-477-0775

First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness HelpLine provides culturally-groundedassessment, referrals, support in times of crisisandsuicide intervention. Services available 24/7, in English, French,Ojibway,Cree and Inuktitut at1-855-242-3310.

Talk 4 Healingis a helpline that providesculturally sensitive counselling, advice and support to Indigenous women across Ontario. Services areavailable 24/7,in English, French,Ojibway, Oji-Cree, Cree and 10 other Indigenous languages at1-855-554-4325.

Trans-Lifelineprovides support, information and resources to transgender or questioningpeople, as well as to their families and friends, 24/7, in English, at1-877-330-6366.

Kid's Help Phoneprovides anonymousand non-judgmental support to youth and teensand can reached 24/7 at 1-800-668-6868.

Family Information Liaison Units (FILU)help families access available information about their missing and murdered loved ones from multiple government sources. Contact information for FILUs in every province and territory can be found on the Justice Canada website.

FILUs are not part of the national inquiry for MMIWG, but were established by the Canada's Department of Justice in 2016 to provide community-based,culturally sensitive and trauma-informedsupport to the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

There are FILU co-ordinators working in justice departments in every region, gathering and sharing information on court cases and investigations into missing and murdered women and girls, child welfare, health and socialservices.