Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day welcomes today’s announcement rolling out the much-anticipated Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women National Inquiry and says we must rally behind the commissioners and support the families in the critical work they will carry out over the next two years.
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It wasn’t until Canada’s first aboriginal justice minister took the stage to outline a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women that the tears began to stream down Lorelei Williams’ face and she let herself believe that this time things might be different.
A long-awaited inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women has been officially launched by the federal government.
As we’ve reported, an inquiry like this was one of the campaign promises of Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada.
The process – created to be arm’s length from government once it is up and running on September 1 – is expected to last at least two years and cost at least $53.8 million – $13.8 million than was originally expected.
According to an RCMP report released in the spring of 2014, over 1,100 indigenous women were murdered and went missing between 1980 and 2012. The inquiry will be led by Marion Buller, the first female aboriginal judge in British Columbia.
“It’s a national tragedy, but it’s an worldwide shame”, Bellegarde said Wednesday in Gatineau, Que., after the Liberal government unveiled the terms of reference for the inquiry and handed the reins over to its independent commissioners.
“We’re committed to working on the details to make sure that this inquiry works for the families and that we see justice”, she said. Dawn Lavell-Harvard, president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, told the CBC that “Families made it very clear that they wanted answers, that many cases they felt were closed prematurely, that they don’t accept the conclusion”.
Indigenous women represent four percent of Canada’s population but 16 percent of homicide victims.
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, who is an indigenous woman, added that she wanted the inquiry to look at the impact of poverty and marginalization on these communities.
The commission falls under the part of the federal Inquiries Act governing public inquiries, which means it will have the power to summon witnesses and compel evidence and testimony, just like a civil court.
Pam Palmater, an Indigenous activist and professor at Ryerson University, in an email to teleSUR said that while it’s good Canada is taking action on its commitment to the inquiry, neither its terms of reference, nor its choice of commissioners was done in collaboration with Indigenous groups.
There is no mention of the role of the provinces and territories in particular in the areas of police services and the child welfare system.
“The national inquiry is an important step in our journey on reconciliation with indigenous peoples in Canada”, said Carolyn Bennett, Canadian Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, during a press conference on Wednesday.
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Mary Teegee, with Carrier Sekani Family Services, said the federal government’s decision to call the inquiry finally acknowledges there is a problem.
