Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry wears a brooch made for her by a Kamloops woman, July 6 (Image Credit: Flickr / Government of BC)

By James Peters

A Gift for Dr. Bonnie

Retired Kamloops nurse’s beaded gift for Dr. Bonnie Henry a reminder of missing and murdered Indigenous women

Jul 10, 2020 | 3:01 PM

KAMLOOPS — For Gwen Campbell McArthur, the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women cannot be sidelined during a global pandemic and provincial state of emergency.

“It’s just not something that we can just hide and sweep under the carpet because we’re in a pandemic,” Campbell McArthur told CFJC Today.

The urgency of the issue is what led the Metis woman from Kamloops to create a special piece of art for Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, whose work during the COVID-19 pandemic Campbell McArthur calls “nothing short of astounding.”

The beaded red dress was initially intended to be a necklace for Dr. Henry, whose flare for eye-catching fashion has become apparent over the course of her regular media briefings. On Monday (July 6), Dr. Henry wore the piece as a brooch affixed to her blazer.

Image Credit: Gwen Campbell McArthur

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Campbell McArthur says she is sure Dr. Henry receives a lot of gifts from the public and seeing her wear the beaded piece came as a surprise.

“I didn’t expect that particularly, but what an exhilarating feeling to see it. It was really validating and gave me the feeling that, even in all of what she’s working in right now… that there was a real recognition of [missing and murdered indigenous women].”

Beading has been important to Campbell McArthur since she was a child. She says finishing this dress took her approximately eight hours — and a lot of trial and error.

“Other people are sending her necklaces and John Fluevog is making shoes — but John Fluevog didn’t make the shoes, you know what I mean? He didn’t put the soles on, that kind of stuff. But for this, every bead was mine,” said Campbell McArthur. “It’s a unique piece, especially for her.”

“I put high quality in everything I do. A lot of thought went into it in terms of what she signifies, how she’s worked so hard.”

Campbell McArthur recently retired after a 42-year career in psychiatric nursing. She says the idea for the wearable art came from a desire to honour Dr. Henry, but also to recognize that domestic violence has been on the increase during the pandemic.

“At a time when people are really stressed because of the state of emergency we’re living under, those things don’t go away. As a matter of fact, they’ll come to the forefront,” said Campbell McArthur.

“I’m not saying everybody that is a victim of domestic violence is Indigenous, but there are a lot who are. We’re creating crisis lines because there has been an increase in domestic violence and there is real concern about it.”

Image Credit: Flickr / Government of BC

Campbell McArthur says her time working in mental health has made her acutely aware of the connection between domestic violence, mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic. She says one emergency is no reason to put off acting on another.

“With the [MMIW inquiry], it’s really easy in this time to shelve those recommendations, or for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, to put that all on hold while we’re in the course of a pandemic,” said Campbell McArthur.

“There are still families, even during this pandemic that exemplifies their grief, that every day they’re still looking for their loved ones. If you’re looking on social media, you’re seeing… how many Indigenous women who are still out there.”