Liberals launch first phase of national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women,
Liberals launch first phase of probe into missing, murdered aboriginals
OTTAWA— The Liberal government launched the first phase of a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, promising a wide-ranging — and probably expensive — examination of the disproportionate level of violence against this population.
“Both racism and sexism are a huge part of this and we need to hear those stories such that Canadians understand really that racism and sexism in this country kills,” Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said Tuesday in Ottawa. The federal government, represented by Bennett, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and Status of Women Minister Patricia Hajdu, launched the “design phase” of the promised inquiry into how more than 1,200 indigenous women and girls have been murdered or gone missing in Canada.
The inquiry itself would get underway next year.
“A first step on the path to reconciliation will be addressing the heartbreaking reality that girls born in our indigenous communities are three times more likely to experience violent crime,” Wilson-Raybould said as she launched the inquiry.
“The extent of violence against indigenous women and girls is not an indigenous problem. It’s not simply a women’s issue. It is a national tragedy that requires an urgent and deliberate national response.”
This first phase, which Bennett said will be paid for from existing travel budgets, will consist of the three ministers consulting widely with the families of victims, national aboriginal organizations, front-line workers, provinces and other stakeholders over the next two months to get their input on the scope and goals of the inquiry. That will include a meeting Friday with families in Ottawa.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named the inquiry as a top priority in his speech to a gathering of the Assembly of First Nations in Gatineau, Que., Tuesday morning, where he outlined his plans for a renewed relationship with First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples in Canada.
“Those touched by this national tragedy have waited long enough. The victims deserve justice, their families an opportunity to be heard and to heal. We must work together to put an end to this ongoing tragedy,” Trudeau said in his speech.
Many families, with the support of indigenous activists and organizations have already begun laying the groundwork and sharing what they would like to see in an inquiry, with some families calling on the government to provide financial support for travel and legal representation.
“There are many different ways the inquiry can be structured,” Wilson-Raybould said, when asked whether the government would commit to cover the cost of lawyers for families.
The Liberal election campaign platform committed $40 million over two years for the national inquiry, but Bennett suggested both the timeline and the price tag are now flexible.
“We are going to go out and listen to what people say this needs to look like and . . . we’ll then have to apply what budget that will take to do it right,” Bennett said, calling the $40million costing “a placeholder in a platform.”
The vagueness surrounding budget and timing was what had NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair sounding a note of caution Tuesday, despite expressing his support for the overall effort.
“You can’t say you want families to come in and be able to testify and expect them to be able to do that on their own,” Mulcair said.
The previous Conservative government had always rejected calls for a national inquiry, arguing that action to prevent violence against indigenous women and girls was more important than another study.
Conservative interim leader Rona Ambrose has since agreed to support the Liberal efforts on an inquiry — “I think they’re off to a great start,” Ambrose said in response to the launch Tuesday — but concern remains, even among families, that an inquiry could delay progress.
Hajdu said the government is committed to moving ahead with promises from the Liberal platform — such as funding for affordable housing — that would help address the wider issues.
“I think our government is very committed to making sure that while we study and we look for some of these socio-economic phenomena that lead to increased rates of missing and murdered indigenous women, we are also acting on things that we know and we’ve known for decades — I would argue centuries — that create safer communities,” Hajdu said.