'Bringing that voice back for the voiceless': Manitoba woman brings campaign seeking respect for her mother to London, Ont.

Pledges and promises aren't enough, it's action that matters. That was the message from a young Manitoba woman determined to honour her mother.

Cambria Harris delivered that message Friday morning at an event designed to highlight the London Abused Women’s Centre’s (LAWC) upcoming 14th Annual Shine the Light on Women Abuse campaign.

Harris told a gathering at the LAWC headquarters that she wants her mother, and others, to be given respect and a sense of justice, "A serial killer currently sits in protected custody, while my mother lays in a landfill."

Winnipeg police believe Morgan Harris is one of four victims of alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki and there's also evidence to indicate her body, and the body of at least one other woman, was disposed of in a private landfill north of the city.

"To be at the London Abused Women's Centre as not only a survivor of domestic abuse but as an advocate for my mother is a great honour for me," Harris told CTV News.

Cambria Harris has taken part in protests demanding that search for remains be undertaken at the Prairie Green Landfill.

Morgan Harris is believed to be one of the victims of an accused serial killer. The London Abused Women's Centre revived its silent witness program, honouring Harris on Oct. 20, 2023. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)

"It's about bringing that voice back for the voiceless,” she stressed. “For the women who no longer have a say in the living world."

Both the Winnipeg Police Service and the former provincial Progressive Conservative government had declined to support a search. It was viewed by women's advocates as a troubling example of how women, and more specifically Indigenous women, are not being valued.

"We need to be spending the time to search the landfills and paying attention, especially as we work toward reconciliation," said Jenn Dunn, LAWC executive director.

Elyssa Rose is the executive director of the Strathroy-based Women's Rural Resource Centre, and is a member of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation.

"Every woman deserves to be seen, and heard, and honoured, and brought home,” Rose told the gathering at LAWC. “Families and loved ones deserve closure so they can continue to heal.”

“Indigenous women, my sisters, have been murdered and are still going missing,” Rose said. “Indigenous women are approximately 3.5 times more likely to experience some form of spousal violence than non-Indigenous women. Indigenous women make up 1.2 per cent of Ontario’s population, yet 6 per cent of female homicide victims.”

The London Abused Women's Centre revived its silent witness program, honouring Morgan Harris on Oct. 20, 2023. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)

The Federal Government has committed $500,000 for a landfill-search feasibility study.

Recently elected Manitoba premier Wab Kinew is the first provincial leader to be of First Nation’s descent, and has advocated for the landfill search.

As part of Friday’s event, LAWC revived the practice of honouring a silent witness, a woman who has lost her life as the result of male violence.

A life-size, red-silhouette image of Morgan Harris was revealed, with a plaque telling her story.

The Shine the Light on Woman Abuse campaign formally kicks off at 5:30pm on Nov. 1 in Victoria Park. At that time, they will light a tree covered entirely in purple lights.