'So much work left to do': Hundreds attend Canada's largest Moose Hide event in Victoria
As drumming echoed throughout Victoria’s downtown core on Thursday afternoon, it was the sound of a movement that began more than 10 years ago.
It's a movement to end violence against women called the Moose Hide Campaign.
A Moose Hide pin is shown. (CTV News)Raven Lacerte is from the Burns Lake area and co-founded the campaign with her father.
"It’s right where the Highway of Tears is, where dozens of women have either gone missing or been found murdered from along that stretch of highway," said Lacerte.
People are encouraged to wear small squares of moose hide on their clothing as a way to support the campaign against the violence.
"The message is being heard," said Dominic Paul, the Moose Hide Campaign’s national ambassador. "We can prove that there are five conversations that are started per pin that is out there."
To date more than four million squares have been handed out across the country.
What began as a gathering at Thunderbird Park in Victoria turned into a walk towards the Knowledge Totem on the grounds of the B.C. legislature building.
Tallon Fire Bird travelled to Victoria for the ceremony from Thunder Bay, Ont.
"Today is about creating safer environments for families all across Canada within the First Nation communities," said Fire Bird.
Drummers are shown at Thunderbird Park in downtown Victoria. May 11, 2023. (CTV News)Hundreds of people attended the event. Madi Homewood and Pearl Hare travelled to Victoria from Chilliwack with their Indigenous leadership class.
"We are a part of something that might change stuff," said Homewood.
"It just spreads the overall awareness," said Hare.
Victoria’s Moose Hide event was the largest in Canada. It was livestreamed across the country with more than 400,000 people pledging to either take part virtually or in smaller ceremonies across the country.
"Yes, there are a lot of people here but there is still so much work left to do," said Lacerte. "We need to keep pushing, this needs to keep going if we’re going to make any real change in this country."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
Concerns about Plexiglas prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglas barriers.
'Oh, there you go': Tyler Black, son of veteran broadcaster Rod Black, has memorable Major League Baseball debut
Canadian baseball player Tyler Black made a major splash in his first-ever big league game for the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.
Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.
Weight-loss drug Wegovy available in Canada starting May 6
The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Ontario man loses $1,500 applying for Nexus cards on social media
The trusted traveller program between Canada and the United States is extremely popular and almost two million Canadians have a Nexus card.
Companies letting customers opt out of Mother's Day ads
In an effort to balance the profitability of Mother's Day with the pain it causes some people, some brands are offering customers the choice to opt out of Mother's Day email advertising.