Missing women’s inquiry moving at ‘lightning speed,’ head says
VANCOUVER — The head of the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women denies the process is drifting, saying she believes it’s moving at “lightning speed.”
Marion Buller announced Thursday the inquiry will hold nine community hearings across Canada this fall, amid controversy over the resignation of its executive director and complaints from families about delays and poor communication.
Buller was asked about comments made by Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson, who called for Buller to step down and the inquiry to restart.
“I don’t intend to resign,” Buller replied firmly.
“Things are not drifting. We have to put this in the right context. We started on Sept. 1, four commissioners and myself and a piece of paper, our terms of reference. In eight months, we hired staff, we opened offices, we put life to our terms of reference and we held our first hearing. “In my view, that’s lightning speed.”
Buller said the next community hearings will be held beginning Sept. 10 in Thunder Bay, Ont., before moving on to Smithers, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Halifax, Edmonton, Yellowknife, Maliotenam, Que., and closing in early December in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.
Over the summer, teams will travel to the communities to lay the groundwork for the hearings, she said.
Buller also said two expert panels will speak to the inquiry this year on Indigenous laws, decolonization and human rights.
Executive director Michele Moreau resigned last week, citing personal reasons. The Native Women’s Association of Canada said several other staff members have also left recently and urged the inquiry to be more transparent and reassuring to families.
Buller said people are leaving for personal and positive reasons, as some have been offered “jobs of a lifetime.”
“We expect turnover in our staff and we plan accordingly,” she said. “The work continues.”
North Wilson, the Manitoba chief who has called for Buller’s resignation, said she did not feel reassured by Buller’s remarks.
“It didn’t seem confident and it didn’t seem sincere. The tone almost looked scripted throughout,” she said.
North Wilson said she would like to see a chief commissioner who is better known among grassroots organizations and families. Buller comes from a legal background and was B.C.’s first female Indigenous judge.