National Post (National Edition)
DISCORD WITHIN MMIW INQUIRY
Remaining commissioners proud of team
As concerns mount about the future of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, sources who were inside the inquiry are speaking out about what they see as its “rudderless” operation and a chief commissioner who they say is misrepresenting recent high-profile staff resignations.
The inquiry has increasingly been the target of criticism from some Indigenous groups, and has lost a number of key staff.
Earlier this week, Métis law professor Marilyn Poitras, one of the inquiry’s five commissioners, announced her resignation. It was the latest in a string of departures in recent weeks that included executive director Michèle Moreau, director of communications Sue Montgomery, director of operations Chantale Courcy, and Tanya Kappo, former manager of community relations and a founder of Idle No More.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he’s heard the concerns about the inquiry, but seemed to stand by it.
“Canada has for decades now dealt inadequately with what is an ongoing national tragedy,” he said. “The inquiry needs to provide justice for the victims, healing for the families and put an end to this ongoing tragedy.”
But two former inquiry insiders have spoken with the National Post about the frustration and disappointment they felt working on a project they believed in, but that seemed to be going astray. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of professional repercussions.
The picture painted of the inquiry’s inner workings is one of discord and indecision — a description the commission disputes. “I’m very, very proud of our team, and I think they are incredibly competent and they’re navigating through a very, very difficult task,” said Qajaq Robinson, one of the four remaining commissioners.
But one source said it felt like the inquiry was “kind of floating all over the place.”
“They’re more concerned about their reputation and what the inquiry looks like than actually doing the job,” the person said.
By this account, the organization’s problems start at the top.
“It lacks leadership. I think (chief commissioner) Marion Buller, she’s a lovely person, but she doesn’t have the skills, the management skills,” the source said. Buller was not available to comment for this story, but a spokesperson responded that “the National Inquiry will not comment about other people’s opinion.”
The commissioners, who are independent of the federal government, originally tried to make all decisions by consensus.
In April, the five commissioners instead began making decisions by voting on them. In an interview with the Post Thursday, Robinson said that change was made because it was too difficult to make every decision by consensus given the commissioners live in different parts of the country. But the source said the switch to voting didn’t sit well with Poitras, who often ended up on the losing side of votes.
Robinson told the Post she couldn’t recall whether that was the case. Poitras didn’t respond to a request for comment, but in a statement released to media this week she wrote that her vision for the inquiry was “shared (by) very few.”
According to the source, disagreements between commissioners and employees have spawned factions, power struggles and inertia within the inquiry. “It’s high school, it really is. … It’s dysfunctional, and it’s not because they don’t care. They do care, they just don’t know how to do it.”
That’s not the way Robinson sees it. “There are days where it’s emotional and it’s difficult, but the overwhelming feeling I get from our staff is commitment, is drive, is a sense of hope and a sense of purpose,” she said.
Robinson conceded that there are logistical challenges, including the three-hour time difference between some staff. But she said that’s necessary, in order to have all parts of the country represented.
The inquiry also has to follow government procurement guidelines when it issues contracts, meaning some can take weeks to finalize. Communications director Bernée Bolton admits the red tape has proven an “incredible challenge” for the staff to navigate.
To date, the inquiry has held just one hearing — in Whitehorse in late May. The source claims the decision was made to go ahead with that hearing regardless of the fact they were not ready to proceed with the others because the commissioners already knew that to fulfil their mandate they were going to need an extension to the inquiry’s deadline — and more money. They felt they needed to have at least one hearing under their belt before they could reasonably make that request, the source said.
Robinson denied that was the reason for the Whitehorse hearing. “We undertook to start the community hearings in the spring. That was a commitment we made in the fall and that’s why the hearing was held when it was. The community was ready,” she said.
The inquiry later followed up to say the decision to request an extension wasn’t made until after the Whitehorse hearing. That request hasn’t yet been formally made.
For the commission to be successful, the source believes, Buller needs to step down and the inquiry needs a reset. “I think they need to stop, have one centralized office, come up with a plan, have a maximum of three commissioners … and narrow the focus,” the source said.
As for those who have resigned, Buller last week described their departures as having come “because of personal reasons and for positive reasons. In some cases they have been offered jobs of a lifetime.”
“She’s lying,” said one source. “Take off the rose-coloured glasses and be honest.”
Reached by the Post, Kappo said that she, at least, didn’t leave the inquiry for a dream job. She’s now unemployed.
“I left a job that I loved to take a job with the national inquiry,” one source told the Post. “I thought it was my job of a lifetime.”
But once working for the inquiry, the source felt unable to help families seeking information. “It made me feel that I was incompetent because I didn’t have answers to give.”
Eventually, the source decided to leave. “And when I was done, I was happy, you know? I was really relieved to be gone,” the source said.
“I just really felt that I just didn’t want to face people and not have answers for them anymore.”