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Moose Hide Campaign combats violence against women

The grassroots campaign, which started in B.C. in 2011, has now spread across Canada.
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More than 500

From humble beginnings in 2011, the Moose Hide Campaign—which started as a way of encouraging First Nations men to be accountable for their behaviour toward women and girls—has grown to include support from the Assembly of First Nations, the B.C. Legislature, the House of Commons and the Senate in Ottawa, and many other organizations.

The provincial government declared February 16, 2017 “Moose Hide Day” throughout B.C., and more than 250 people participated in a series of workshops in Victoria on that date. Paul Lacerte, the former executive director of the B.C. Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres and the man who started the Moose Hide Campaign, says that more than 1,000 people also fasted for the day, as a show of support for the campaign.

“About 650 men registered to go without food and water for the day; they formally committed to the fast, which is pretty powerful,” he says. “And others did it informally.” He notes that while the campaign started off with a focus on First Nations men, there was a pretty even split of First Nations and non-First Nations men at the workshops on February 16.

“We did some work around male privilege, about men and healing, traditional values of what it is to be a man and a dad, and healthy relationships,” Lacerte—who is now executive director of the Moose Hide Campaign Development Society—says. “And we were very honoured to have the proclamation [of Moose Hide Day] from the government.”

Moose Hide Campaign founder Paul Lacerte. Photo courtesy of the Moose Hide Campaign.

The campaign started as a grassroots effort organized by Lacerte and his daughters, after one of his daughters, Raven, skinned a moose during a hunting expedition in 2011. The family was near Highway 16 in central B.C., and the proximity to the so-called “Highway of Tears” sparked the idea that moose hide could be used as a symbol to stop violence.

“I thought that if people would wear the moose hide, it would raise awareness of the national shame of gender-based violence.” His daughters tanned moose hides and then cut up the first 25,000 squares, which were attached to hand-made cards and distributed for wearers to pin on their clothing in support of the movement.

Since those first squares were distributed, the campaign has given out more than 500,000 moose hide pins in more than 250 communities across Canada from coast to coast to coast. In October 2016, members of the campaign were in the House of Commons and the Senate in Ottawa, where they distributed pins and received support for their cause.

Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart (second from right) presented moose hide pins to members of Ashcroft Council at a recent meeting. Photo courtesy Lori Pilon.

“People loved [the pins] from the first day,” says Lacerte. “They’re pretty broadly recognized, and there was a buy-in to the movement. The Moose Hide Campaign is very Canadian.” Areas where moose are not indigenous use the hides of other animals, such as bear in the Fraser Valley and deer on Vancouver Island.

“It started as a family effort, and is now a significant national movement,” says Lacerte. A recipient of the Order of B.C., Lacerte asked Premier Christy Clark and former NDP leader Adrian Dix if they would wear the moose hide, and support has continued from both parties for the last five years.

“Other provincial governments are starting to formally endorse and promote the Moose Hide Campaign,” adds Lacerte, noting that it has been formally endorsed by the government of Alberta. He hopes that the annual day of workshops and fasting will continue every February during the week of Valentine’s Day, but says that events to promote the campaign are being held across the province throughout the year. On March 10 and 11, Lacerte will be at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology in Merritt to talk about the campaign.

“Every year for the last six years we’ve gathered in Victoria to stand up as men and say that we must take responsibility for our actions, and honour the women and children in our lives. Every year I have been humbled by the response of the participants. To have a day proclaimed as Moose Hide Day by the provincial government is another signal that together we are mighty, and together we can make a difference.”

For more information about the Moose Hide Campaign, go to http://moosehidecampaign.ca/.