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'We need to be allies'
Moose Hide Campaign encourages men to stand up for women in their communities

Meagan Leonard
Northern News Services
Wednesday, December 23, 2015

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
After witnessing an incident of domestic violence in his neighbourhood two years ago, Kieron Testart said he could no longer sit back and wait for others to make the changes he knew were necessary.

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Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart holds a moosehide patch inside the legislative assembly yesterday. More than 100,000 men across the country are wearing the squares to raise awareness about violence against aboriginal women and children. - Meagan Leonard/NNSL photo

Looking a little closer, the recently elected Kam Lake MLA has been spotted with a small square of moose hide pinned to his lapel. When asked about the patch, Testart said it symbolizes his dedication to raising awareness about violence toward aboriginal women and children.

"I've decided for myself that I would not just turn away from that, from violence I can see with my naked eye in my neighbourhood," he said. "I have always raised my voice and if we don't do that on a community level, nothing is going to change."

Testart is one of some 100,000 men across the country who are now sporting the patches - including the entirety of the British Columbia and Alberta legislatures.

Created in 2011, the Moose Hide Campaign was developed by B.C. resident Paul Lacerte and his daughter Raven. Lacerte said the two had been hunting moose alongside the infamous Highway of Tears, where some 18 aboriginal women have gone missing or been found murdered. As he watched his 15-year-old daughter harvesting the animal he became inspired to create a symbol representing his dedication and responsibility as a man to protect her and other aboriginal girls from violence.

"Our country's biggest untapped resource is men who are not doing harm in their life but who are not OK with what is happening to women," Lacerte told Yellowknifer. "It was always part of our culture to protect women and children in our communities and that's what I'm doing by speaking up."

Aside from handing out the handmade patches, a number of events associated with the campaign have been held across the country including two day-long fasts held this year in Victoria, B.C., with another national event scheduled for February. The significance of the fast is to bring an element of spirituality and ceremony to the campaign, says Lacerte. He said the fast in February is symbolic because it falls right before Valentine's Day - a holiday celebrating love and partnership.

"We want to reclaim Valentine's Day," he said. "Oftentimes in a community you sacrifice something to show people that you love them so for us we want to fast - go on a one-day hunger strike to show we're serious about making change and creating communities that are full of love and respect for the women in our families."

In conjunction with the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report earlier this month, the organization has also initiated a push to have one million men wearing the patches in the next four years. Lacerte says though the moosehide has started a conversation, the attitude towards violence against aboriginal women needs to change.

"A lot of the aboriginal women who have gone missing or been murdered had university degrees - it's indiscriminate ... and it's because of the way people think about our women," he said. "There needs to be an attitude change in this country, looking at women from a place of love and respect - that's going to take a lot of long term heavy lifting and what the Moose Hide Campaign is trying to do is activate an army of healthy men who can become advocates."

This is why getting men on board, especially men in positions of power, is so important, says Testart.

"There's no shortage of women's organizations who have taken a very strong leadership role on this epidemic of violence but we don't see the same thing from men," Testart explained. "We need to be allies, especially as men. We don't have the same experience when we walk down a dark street. We don't get harassed and we're statistically unlikely to experience the same violence at home."

Testart says he hopes wearing the patch will inspire other MLAs to get involved and says he is interested in hosting a Moose Hide Campaign event in Yellowknife. "The NWT has some of the worst statistics for intimate partner violence in Canada," he said.

"This is a really serious issue and it needs to be a priority for our government."

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