Report criticizes MMIWG inquiry

Lack of communication ‘re-traumatizing families, and must be remedied’

A new report on the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls paints a scathing picture of a process that is “failing” on a number of fronts, including through a “profound lack” of communication and transparency that is “effectively re-traumatizing” affected families.

The report, published Monday by the Native Women’s Association of Canada, calls on inquiry leadership to apologize for a lack of transparency and accountability, and for failing to provide travel compensation for families taking part in hearings across the country. The report urges the inquiry to publicly release its budget and redesign its communications strategy to shift the focus to the stories of missing and murdered women and girls.

“Unacceptable communication practices are effectively retraumatizing families, and must be remedied immediately,” the report says.

The NWAC assessment is the third “report card” released since the inquiry was launched. The report graded the process on 15 areas taken from the inquiry’s terms of reference, based on observations from May 2017 to March 2018. The organization supports the call for an extension, despite the perceived shortcomings of the process, “as long as there are families and survivors who want to use this avenue to share their truths and their loved ones’ stories,” the group said in a statement Monday.

The report concluded the inquiry is failing in five areas — defined as “no progress made” — that include the creation of issue-specific advisory panels; adherence to a communications strategy that provides transparency and accountability; and the provision of compensation to make sure people can travel to take part in inquiry hearings. The report says the inquiry has also failed to consider requests for incarcerated people, or allowing remote family members to be included by video, or to give time and space for families who’ve been separated to reconnect before testifying. The report notes this “is of significant importance with children involved in the child welfare system.”

Five more commitments were deemed “incomplete” by the report, including the establishment of a “trauma-informed” inquiry process, which NWAC says failed to properly use Indigenous legal systems and include families and communities in planning. The report gave passing grades — meaning the “commitment has been met” — to the inquiry on providing opportunities for people to commemorate loved ones through art, song and dance. It also met its mandate to release an interim report in November 2017 and to promote and advance Indigenous-settler reconciliation, the report says.

The remaining two commitments could not be assessed because they pertain to the final report at the end of the process.