Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett speaks August 3 at the launch of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman in Gatineau, Que.
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Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and Status of Women Minister Patty Hajdu will be on hand for the event. Former prime minister Stephen Harper insisted past year that most of the cases had been solved and that “the issue has been studied to death”.
Federal government say they’ve earmarked $40 million for two years of investigation, but that the figure is a placeholder.
In 2014, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police identified 1,181 cases of murders and disappearances of indigenous women and girls between 1980 and 2012, double the previous estimates.
“Too many lives have been touched by this horrific national tragedy”, said Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Women’s Council Chair, Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians Deputy Grand Chief Denise Stonefish, in a statement.
While the federal government is spearheading the inquiry, all of the provinces and territories have individually agreed to sign on to the terms of reference.
A national inquiry into the indigenous population’s problems must look into the need to reform police and oversight bodies, the human rights organization added, stressing that police officers must be held accountable for misconduct in order to ensure safety for indigenous women and girls.
Under the Inquiries Act, the commission has the authority to “summon witnesses and compel documents”.
“This inquiry is needed to achieve justice and healing and to put an end to this ongoing and awful tragedy”, Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said on Wednesday.
It will begin on September 1 and is expected to run for two years, with the final report likely to come in 2018.
There’s also the basic issue of violence against women – both inside indigenous communities and in urban centres.
“We don’t want the commissioners sending out to one police agency to investigate something in their particular way and to another agency (where) they’ll investigate it in their way”, Weighill said.
In 2004 Amnesty International released a report entitled Stolen Sister which contained nine case studies of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in three western provinces over a period of three decades.
“We’re pleased with some of the terms of reference in terms of dealing with police relations and also how the child welfare institutions have played a part”, Achneepineskum said.
Michèle Audette, leading women’s First Nations advocate, Innu francophone and former president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada.
Ontario Provincial Police spokesman Sgt. Peter Leon said they are also ready to participate.
“We are Inuit. We have our distinct, rightful place to have a voice”, Meeka Otway, secretary-treasurer of Pauktuutit, said at a news conference in Ottawa. We are committed to working with the federal government to implement positive changes and continue to renew our partnership with Indigenous peoples.
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“It’s significant that the government has been clear from the outset that the intention is to get at the root causes, and to move forward with a comprehensive response”, Benjamin said.
