Family consultations begin in Phase One of inquiry

Three women stood shoulder to shoulder, each carrying eagle feathers, one wearing an “honouring our sisters” shirt, and announced that the new federal government was delivering on one of its campaign promises. Work for the national inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls was beginning.

“The extent of crime 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,” said Jody Wilson-Raybould, former Assembly of First Nations regional chief for British Columbia and now Attorney General and Justice minister.

Wilson-Raybould was accompanied by Minister Carolyn Bennett (Indigenous Affairs) and Patty Hajdu (Status of Women) on Dec. 8 to announce that the inquiry would take place in two phases.

The first phase, to get underway immediately, involves meeting with families of victims, frontline service workers, national Aboriginal, provincial, and territorial representatives over the next two months, said Wilson-Raybould.

Indigenous leaders have expressed approval of the pre-planning phase approach the government is taking.

“I am uplifted by the government’s announcement to work alongside the families of victims and Indigenous organizations in launching an inquiry,” said Congress of Aboriginal Peoples National Chief Dwight Dorey in a statement.

This phase will be used to design and set the scope and tone of the inquiry. All three ministers will have a role to play in that, said Bennett, adding that the first phase will also guide in the selection of commissioners and determining the role of ceremonies in the inquiry.

Bennett said the process will be transparent with regular updates on a dedicated website and comments welcomed through social media. Discussion guides will be mailed out and an online survey set up in the coming weeks.

“We are encouraged to see the government announce an open, transparent and fulsome process,” said Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Natan Obed.

Bennett said she expects to announce the second phase of the inquiry in spring, but she was adamant that the first phase would not be cut off prematurely if it took longer than initially anticipated.

She also stated that the two years and $40 million commitment to the inquiry that the Liberals made during the campaign were simply “place holders” in the platform and would be adjusted depending on what the ministers heard as consultations progressed.

This commitment further demonstrates the change in relationship between the government and Indigenous peoples, said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde.

“She’s saying if it takes more financial resources to get the job done, she’s committed to get that done. Again it strikes to a really new relationship with this government…. (This) is a prime example of what is needed to bring about reconciliation in this country,” he said.

“The inquiry itself is to be able to find concrete action that will actually stop this national tragedy. That includes seeking justice for the families, support for those families, but what we’ve heard time and time again is that these families want to prevent this tragedy so that other families don’t have to go through this,” said Bennett.

While phase one and phase two of the inquiry are underway, Hajdu said the government would be taking immediate steps in an attempt to prevent more Indigenous women and girls from being victims.

She said affordable housing; more accessible shelters, which include transitional housing; access to running water; affordable food; and other social infrastructure issues would be addressed.

“These are all very important components of actually moving forward with action right now,” she said.

Support for the inquiry has come from all federal political parties, as well as groups such as the Native Women’s Association of Canada, the Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of British Columbia, and the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada. Support has also come from non-Indigenous organizations, including the Canadian Nurses Association, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and the United Steelworkers.

Figures released by the RCMP in 2014 indicated close to 1,200 Indigenous women murdered or missing between 1980 and 2012, with 1,017 women as homicide victims and 164 women considered missing.