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Man walking across Canada to raise awareness about missing, murdered women

Society has a long way to go to help people like his aunt Frances Brown, so Matthew Jefferson has a long way to go, too. The young Victoria man was moved by the tragedy of Brown, who disappeared in the Smithers area during a mushroom picking outing.
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Society has a long way to go to help people like his aunt Frances Brown, so Matthew Jefferson has a long way to go, too.

The young Victoria man was moved by the tragedy of Brown, who disappeared in the Smithers area during a mushroom picking outing. It was late autumn of 2017 and the experienced outdoorswoman was in rugged backcountry terrain when she became separated from her picking companion. Brown was never seen again, despite exhaustive searches.

Another Aboriginal woman being ripped from her family was enough to motivate Jefferson to do something big - as big as the country he feels is failing his Indigenous sisters and cousins and especially a beloved aunt. He set out June 1 to walk across Canada. It will take him the majority of a year to complete the trek, partly because he is walking to the Atlantic Ocean via northern B.C.

"We will be walking into P.G. Sunday afternoon," said Jefferson from a pitstop on the Cariboo Highway. "Parts of my family are driving out to meet us and walk in with us."

Some of that Prince George family includes his cousin Jeanette Brown who also misses her aunt Frances dearly.

"It has been very hard not knowing and not being able to help bring her home," Jeanette said. "I can't imagine what my aunt Irene and cousins are going through. It breaks my heart."

Jefferson said, "Walking seemed like the best way to connect more people and to meet more people along the way, making the trip worthwhile. Sad to say but being both white and Aboriginal, more white people are likely to listen and follow and believe me."

Jeanette said the walk her cousin is embarking on has already been impressive, and his end goal represents a powerful effort on behalf of all missing and murdered Indigenous women, plus all those still at risk due to the national pattern of marginalizing people of Aboriginal descent.

"I myself have hitchhiked and put myself in situations where my safety was at risk," she said. "Not only does it affect me and my family. I believe it affects each and every one of us a nation."

She couldn't help but feel the tragedy of it "over the years, growing up, seeing how many of our sisters go missing and how it leaves an impact on our communities."

She is looking forward to Sunday when her cousin carries his heavy backpack and weather-beaten body into Prince George.

"What he is doing is amazing - makes me proud," she said.