Moose Hide campaign begins in Sault Ste. Marie

A campaign designed to encourage Indigenous and non-Indigenous men and boys to stand up against violence against women and children in their lives is getting underway.

This year’s Moose Hide Campaign kicked off a bit early in Sault Ste. Marie, with ceremony and presentations from activists, law enforcement and women’s agencies.

The Moose Hide Campaign began in B.C. in 2014, and has since become a national movement, symbolized by the Moose Hide pin.

Wearing the pin is a show of commitment to women and children and speaking out against gender-based and intimate partner violence, or IPV.

The event in Sault Ste. Marie was organized by the Shingwauk Anishinaabe Students Association. President Nina Toulouse said conversations about IPV should begin early.

“Teaching our young boys, the ones that are up and coming, teaching them the meaning of consent and how we treat our women, our mothers, our sisters, our nieces, and our aunties,” Toulouse said.

This year’s Moose Hide Campaign kicked off a bit early in Sault Ste. Marie, with ceremony and presentations from activists, law enforcement and women’s agencies. (Mike McDonald/CTV News)

“They’re all very strong women in our communities and we need to honour them.”

Members of Angie’s Angels are named after Angie Sweeney, who was murdered by an ex-partner last October. They attended the campaign kickoff, including long-time friend and group co-founder Renee Buczel.

Buczel said discussions about IPV must continue.

“One thing that we’re really focused on is preventative action, and then just talking about it, having the difficult conversations,” she said.

“Especially if you notice something with a friend. That’s my personal side of things. I’ve seen unhealthy patterns that were there, and I wish sometimes that I had maybe spoken up about it a little bit more.”

One of the keynote speakers was Dan Jennings, who lost his daughter Caitlin to domestic violence. He said the conversation must not cease until IPV is no more.

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“Talking about IPV takes away the control of the abusers,” said Jennings.

“We speak out about it, it’ll become almost normalized as a topic. So many people are hiding in silence about it, and that’s what I want to change.”