Northern Ontario advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous people starts cross-country tour

Vanessa Brousseau, an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous people, is travelling across Canada in a recreational vehicle (RV) to bring more awareness to the issue.

Brousseau's sister, Pamela Holopainen, was 22 when she went missing in 2003. She lived in Timmins, Ont., at the time, and trhe case has never been resolved.

"Not having closure is a nightmare. It really is," Brousseau said. "And it's hard because after 21 years, I've seen it over and over happen to other families and I know exactly how they're feeling."

Brousseau, who currently lives in North Bay, Ont., said many Canadians are not aware of the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people.

She's had people ask her why the symbol for the cause is a red bomb, when it is in fact a red dress.

Since 2020, Brousseau has been active on TikTok, where she produces content about Indigenous culture and missing and murdered Indigenous people. Last year, the platform recognized her for her advocacy work.

But she said she's always dreamed of traveling across Canada and bringing her message to more people by engaging with them in person.

"Just recently I told people about this dream and all of a sudden it just happened," she said. "Like all of a sudden I'm signing papers for a big motor home."

Brousseau said she doesn't intend for her cross-Canada campaign to be a one-time trip. She intends to keep traveling during the summer months, as long as her RV is still running.

Her current plan is to travel to British Columbia and meet with First Nation communities and allies along the way.

"This isn't about making anybody feel guilty, blame, shame, nothing like that," Brousseau said.

"[It] is to create awareness so that you could try to understand what is happening, why it's still happening today and how you could be a part of action and making sure that it's not continuing."