Head of MMIW inquiry slams extension As too short

Commission sought 2 years, gets 6 months

OTTAWA • The national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women is accusing the federal government of putting its political interests before the safety of Indigenous women with its decision to extend the troubled inquiry’s timeline by six months instead of the two years the commission requested in March.

The compromise is getting a mixed reaction from Indigenous organizations, which were divided in their support for the extension request. The inquiry has been plagued by accusations of disorganization and poor communication, and some groups have said it should not be given any more time or money. Others have stood by it, arguing it cannot be allowed to fail.

On Tuesday, Crown-indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett called the decision a “creative solution” that won’t require all provinces and territories to agree to a longer extension, which she said was unlikely to happen.

The government has decided the inquiry can continue hearing from families and issuing subpoenas until December 2018, and will have until Apr. 30, 2019, to submit its final report — the original deadline was Nov. 1. The inquiry will then have until June 30, 2019, to wind down its operations.

Bennett said the decision was made after discussions with survivors and family members, Indigenous organizations and provincial governments.

“Based on those discussions, we found support for giving the inquiry more time to submit its final report, but little support for the commission’s mandate to extend beyond the next election,” Bennett told reporters in Ottawa.

She said the government wants to be able to respond to the inquiry’s final report before the next election in October 2019.

But the inquiry’s chief commissioner, Marion Buller, had strong words for Bennett, saying the government is prioritizing “political expediency” with this decision.

“The minister has, in my view, made it clear that the timing of the election takes priority over the quality of the work that has to be done,” she said. “This is a sad day for all Canadians.”

Another of the inquiry’s four commissioners appears to be considering leaving the commission in the wake of the government’s decision.

“I am currently inhabited by a feeling of incomprehension and deep disappointment,” Michèle Audette said Tuesday in a statement.

“I will allow myself the next few weeks to reflect, to analyze the decision, to express my personal opinion and to validate my future participation in the work of the national inquiry.”

Bennett said it was clear not all provinces and territories would have supported a longer extension. As it stands, all jurisdictions have passed their own orders-in-council, which enable the inquiry to issue subpoenas in all provinces and territories through Dec. 31, 2018.

“If we even lost one, we no longer have a national public inquiry,” she said.

But Buller said the government could have chosen just to extend its own orderin-council, which would have allowed the inquiry to continue to subpoena federal departments and agencies.

The shorter extension means the inquiry won’t be able to complete regional hearings on areas of provincial jurisdiction, Buller said. “Our first priority is … to hear from the families and survivors who have already registered.”

The national inquiry has heard from nearly 1,300 witnesses to date and has conducted 15 community hearings. It has also begun institutional hearings, focusing on policing and other systemic issues.

The federal government has not yet decided how much money to give the inquiry to complete its report by the end of April. In March, the commissioners asked for an additional $50 million, which would have nearly doubled its original budget of $54 million.

Buller said she doesn’t know how much more funding the inquiry will need.

Tuesday’s announcement got mixed reviews from Indigenous organizations, with the Assembly of First Nations calling it “an opportunity (for the inquiry) to refocus its work in ways that will ensure survivors and families are at the forefront.” Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, said he’s pleased an extension was granted, even a short one. “Is it the right decision? I don’t know if you can say right or wrong,” he said. “I also don’t think it’s in the best interest of anyone to have this go on and on.”