Sister of missing Indigenous woman commits to year-long walk across Canada

The sister of missing Megan Gallagher is starting a journey of her own, in honour of her sister.

Lindsey Bishop is starting a walk across Canada on Feb. 18, 2022 from Victoria, B.C.

“I think that bringing awareness across all of the country is a good first step in getting conversations started,” Bishop said, calling it “a good start.”

Bishop said she’s walking for families like hers who are going through the pain of knowing a missing or murdered Indigenous woman.

Megan Gallagher — Bishop’s sister — disappeared in September 2020. She has been missing for 18 months. Police have declared the investigation a homicide.

Bishop and Gallagher’s father, Brian Gallagher, said the pain is no less today than it was the day his daughter went missing.

“Your heart stops and what do you do?” Brian said.

Brian Gallagher at the Holiday Inn in downtown Saskatoon on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. (Libby Giesbrecht/650 CKOM)

Calling Bishop a strong, courageous and compassionate woman, Brian said he was overwhelmed with his daughter’s decision to walk in honour of her sister and other women like her.

“I just hope she’s able to survive,” he said of Bishop, noting his own fatherly worry for her.

“It’s not just missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited, it’s generations of trauma that have led to this,” Bishop said. “Generations of misinformation.”

The walk will take around 10 months.  Bishop has taken a year off work to complete the effort.