By Tanya Cronin

Prime Minister Trudeau grants Kamloops woman one on one interview

Feb 3, 2016 | 2:51 PM

KAMLOOPS — They are pictures that Nikki Fraser holds closely. Memories of two special women in her family, that suffered so much pain and tragedy.  

1995 Nikki’s aunt, Dorothy Spence, disappeared from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. 18 years later, in September of  2013, her cousin, Samantha Paul, vanished in Kamloops, her remains found nearly a year later around White Lake, South of Barnhartvale.

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“I have two huge families that are affected by this and families that miss them both. It’s a really big thing, it’s hurtful and we’re still in the grieving stages of all of it,” says Fraser.

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But that heartbreak has given this 25 year old Kamloops woman the strength to advocate for hundreds of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. An issue she had the rare opportunity to discuss, with the very man who leads our country.

“When the Prime Minister told me Indigenous lives matter, that was huge. Nobody has said that before sitting in that position. So to be able to sit in that room for the first time it ever being said, was pretty phenomenal and it really touched home.”

Nikki was one of 10 Canadians chosen as part of a CBC News special, to sit down with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and talk about a specific issue. Sharing her family’s story, she asked Trudeau how he plans to keep Indigenous women safe, now and in the future. 
    
“I have a daughter who’s 3 years old and she shouldn’t have to grow up in a country where her life is less valuable than another little girl’s life, just becuase my daughter is Indigenous, it shouldn’t matter what race she is.”

Trudeau pointed to the National Inquiry he has launched, to break the silence. Nikki says it’s about time families of those whose deaths and disappearances have gone unsolved, have a voice and can now share their stories.

“I felt his compassion, I felt like he understood the struggles we’re going through. It’s not going to happen overnight, it started with him making that change and starting in that interview, so I’m happy.”   

Celebrating her 25th birthday while in the Nation’s Capital, this BC Native Women’s Association Youth Representative, says the experience is something she’ll never forget. But it doesn’t end there. Nikki  plans to keep the momentum going, pushing her vision for the future of Indigenous women and girls, and is hoping the Prime Minister will stay committed.

“Let him show us that he’s willing to walk his talk, and prove that he’s really interested in all our 10 concerns, that these 10 Canadians brought towards him,” says Fraser.

To watch the full CBC News interview click here.