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Three members of Unifor's national leadership team were on the Red River on August 11, joining Drag the Red volunteers aboard the boat the union helped put on the water.
National Secretary-Treasurer Len Poirier, Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi and Atlantic Regional Director Jennifer Murray took part in the search alongside coordinator Jill Wilson and Unifor Indigenous Relations Director Gina Smoke.
Drag the Red was founded in Winnipeg after the death of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine in August 2014. Volunteers drag the riverbed and search the shoreline for the remains of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people. The work is unpaid and community-led, and it has continued season after season without stable government funding.
Unifor bought the group a purpose-built aluminum boat in 2020 through the Canadian Community Fund after the previous vessel kept breaking down. Union members and staff have also volunteered hours on the water.
"Being out there changes you," said Poirier. "Every hook that goes into that water belongs to a family asking a question that should have been answered a long time ago. Unifor members made this boat possible, and we will keep it on the water as long as families need it."
For Hashi, the day put a human face on numbers she has read many times.
"I have seen the reports and I know the statistics. Standing on that deck is a different thing entirely," said Hashi. "These are families doing work that governments and police should have done, and they do it with love and without complaint. That’s community activism at its finest."
Murray said the experience will stay with her.
"What I keep coming back to is how quiet it is out there," said Murray. "Nobody has to explain to you why this matters. You feel it in your chest. Ending this violence is everyone's job, and it starts with showing up."
Following the day on the water, Unifor promised a $10,000 donation to help continue the work for the remainder of 2026.
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls issued 231 Calls for Justice in 2019. Years later, most remain unfinished. Unifor continues to call on governments at every level to implement them in full.
