MMIW inquiry focuses on survivor services
Latest phase, held in Calgary, examines effectiveness of government programs
The chief commissioner of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls said she hopes the latest phase of the process, taking place this week in Calgary, will show which government services for survivors may or may not be working.
The inquiry’s second phase, which is being held at the Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire and is open to the public, focuses on testimony from government staff on victim services, health services and housing. It includes testimony from public staff and non-profit employees.
Chief Commissioner Marion Buller said this is a crucial step.
“We’re going to hear about services that don’t work, we’re going to hear about services that do work to reduce violence against Indigenous women and girls,” said Buller. “This is going to provide us with a foundation for our recommendations ultimately in our final report.”
Buller said that in previous testimony, families of survivors have identified a lack of information coming from service providers, a lack of timely responses to their concerns and a lack of culturally appropriate services.
“Families and survivors have told us time and time again there weren’t translators available, that elders weren’t consulted, that there was also a lack of understanding that in some communities women certainly cannot talk about domestic violence, for example,” said Buller.
John Phelps, Yukon’s chief federal prosecutor, and Leanne Gardiner, with the Northwest Territories’ justice department, testified first Monday morning.
Phelps said there are challenges within the Yukon Crown witness co-ordination program, which helps victims and their families obtain key information related to their cases. Regional challenges also exist in the northern territories, he said, including low Indigenous representation within their services.
“We also have a significant difficulty at times contacting victims. Either we don’t have good information coming from the investigative agency or, because of the lapse of time, victims have moved on,” said Phelps, adding that overall he thinks the program has been successful.
“I think it’s a critical program for a prosecution service to have. We carry in each of the three territories a very high case load as prosecutors; we deal with a significant percentage of violence and sexualized violent crime within the territories compared to the national averages,” said Phelps. “Prosecutors are extremely busy and without this service (in) the vast majority of cases, I would suggest, there would be insufficient or no communication with victims.”
The hearing also heard testimony from Naomi Giff-McKinnon, senior policy analyst at the Policy Centre for Victim Issues and Betty Ann Pottruff, adviser to the assistant deputy minister of innovation of Saskatchewan.
Giff-McKinnon testified on Family Information Liaison Units, a service that has been running for about a year and a half. The $11.7 million government-funded units were developed in response to institutional barriers families were experiencing, such as access to information as well as lack of trust in agencies.
“Many family members are receiving the information that they’re seeking from multiple sources, from many jurisdictions across the country in a seamless fashion,” said Giff-McKinnon.
“By having a FILU in every province and territory that is very strongly connected and works closely together, the interjurisdictional barriers that might have been in place are really diminished. FILU teams, whether they’re located in British Columbia or Newfoundland and Labrador or Northwest Territories, are all working very closely together.”