Canadian Member of Parliament Leah Gazan, representing the New Democratic Party, used the acronym MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ during a press conference to condemn $7 billion in budget cuts to Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations. The acronym, which stands for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual people, sparked widespread online discussion.
Gazan criticized the government for allocating $0 to address what she described as the 'ongoing genocide' of these communities, while increasing military spending by $13 billion. The government defended the cuts as part of broader efforts to manage federal deficits while maintaining essential services.
The acronym, used to emphasize intersectionality in systemic violence against Indigenous people, has been employed in government and advocacy contexts for years. However, its length and complexity drew significant attention online, with some users mocking its recitation while others focused on Gazan's serious tone and the policy implications of the budget cuts.