Growing out of the Sisters in Spirt initiative, which was led by the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) and funded by Status of Women Canada, October 4 became a day in which eleven Canadian communities held simultaneous vigils to raise awareness and honour the memory of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls across Canada in 2006. Since then, October 4 has continued to serve as a day to hold vigils and continue to raise awareness.