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Canada begins inquiry into decades of violence against indigenous women Canada begins inquiry into decades of violence against indigenous women
(about 5 hours later)
Canada has launched a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women, a long-awaited look into the root causes of decades of violence that have led to more than a thousand deaths and attracted international criticism. The Canadian government has launched a long-awaited inquiry into the murders and disappearances of thousands of indigenous women across the country, in hopes of bringing an end to what it described as “an ongoing national tragedy”.
The inquiry, which will be overseen by five commissioners, will look at the systemic issues that lead to violence against indigenous women and girls, the Canadian government said. It will run from September to the end of 2018 and deliver a report with recommendations. Carolyn Bennett, the minister of indigenous and northern affairs, unveiled details of the inquiry on Wednesday in Ottawa. “The national inquiry is an important step on our journey of reconciliation with the indigenous people of Canada,” she said. “From coast to coast to coast, the high rate of missing indigenous women and girls could not be ignored.”
“The national inquiry is an important step in our journey of reconciliation,” said the minister of indigenous and northern affairs, Carolyn Bennett. A 2014 report from the Royal Canadian mounted police said 1,181 indigenous women had been murdered or gone missing in Canada between 1980 and 2012 – of whom 1,017 were victims of homicide. Recent months have seen the number revised upwards, with one government minister estimating that as many as 4,000 indigenous women had gone missing or been murdered during the three-decade period.
Related: Unsolved murders of indigenous women reflect Canada's history of silenceRelated: Unsolved murders of indigenous women reflect Canada's history of silence
A United Nations watchdog last year urged Canada to launch an inquiry. While aboriginal people account for only about 4% of Canada’s population, they on average suffer from higher rates of crime, poverty and addiction. The inquiry, which will begin in September and continue to the end of 2018, will look at the systemic factors that underlie the high rate of violence suffered by indigenous women and girls, as well as consider the role of institutions such as police forces.
The inquiry was announced last year by the Liberal prime minister, Justin Trudeau, fulfilling a campaign pledge from the October federal election. The former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper had resisted demands for an inquiry. “It’s a fundamentally important exercise to get at the root causes of why this situation exists in the first place,” said Jody Wilson-Raybould, Canada’s justice minister.
“This is huge. This is a historic moment that we are now beginning to start the work,” said Dawn Lavell-Harvard, president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, which campaigned for an inquiry for 11 years. “Unpacking the colonial legacy, looking at communities on reserve and off reserve, looking at institutions, whether it be police or child welfare, and understanding the realities – the truths – that will be expressed through the lived experiences of the murdered and missing indigenous women and girls.”
Nonetheless, there were some concerns, including that there did not appear to be an opportunity for families to pursue or reopen cases through the justice system, said Lavell-Harvard. At times, Wilson-Raybould, a former regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations in British Columbia, fought to hold back tears. “We know that the inquiry cannot undo the injustices that indigenous peoples have suffered over decades, but we can review what’s happened in the past, reflect on our present circumstances, and chart a path moving forward.”
“We’re committed to working on the details to make sure that this inquiry works for the families and that we see justice,” she said. The five-member commission will be led by Marion Buller, the first female First Nations judge appointed in British Columbia, and will have the authority to summon witnesses, including police. It will not make findings of criminal or civil liability, but commissioners will be able to refer cases back to police or attorney generals for follow-up if deemed warranted.
The independent commission will decide what to review and will have the authority to summon witnesses and compel documents in all jurisdictions. It will also examine policing and child welfare practices. The independent commission will be tasked with delivering recommendations to address the systemic causes of violence, as well as looking at ways to honour and commemorate the victims. The inquiry is expected to cost the federal government C$53.8m ($41m).
The inquiry is expected to cost the federal government C$53.8m ($41m), more than the C$40m over two years it had earmarked in its budget earlier this year. Wednesday’s launch was welcomed by indigenous leaders, as well as the families of missing and murdered women.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in 2014 that 1,017 aboriginal women had been murdered between 1980 and 2012. “This is huge. This is a historic moment that we are now beginning to start the work,” said Dawn Lavell-Harvard of the Native Women’s Association of Canada. “After 16 years of listening to the families and survivors and then doing the research for 11 years to prove to the others that what these families and survivors was saying was true, we have arrived at a new beginning.”
A follow-up report last year found that 174 aboriginal women had been missing for at least 30 days as of April 2015, accounting for about 10% of all missing women at that time. Her organisation had several concerns, however, with the scope of the inquiry as set out by the government. Despite longstanding complaints of police readiness to dismiss cases involving indigenous women, the inquiry will not provide families with the opportunity to reopen closed cases, nor will it scrutinise the justice system.
Earlier this year, a remote indigenous community declared a state of emergency following a string of suicide attempts by aboriginal teenagers. “We cannot ignore the fact that many family members and survivors of violence do not feel like they were treated respectfully or fairly by the justice system,” said Lavell-Harvard.
The inquiry’s terms of reference also make no mention of the role of provinces and territories – a glaring omission, given that many of the systems being considered are within their jurisdiction.
Lavell-Harvard pointed to the child welfare system as an example. “Girls have described that they were trafficked, they were recruited into the sex trade from group homes, foster homes and hotels when they were in the care of the child welfare system.”
Pauktuutit, the national organisation that represents Inuit women, expressed disappointment that the inquiry would not include an Inuit commissioner. “As Inuit women, most of us live in regions with the highest rates of violence in the country,” Rebecca Kudloo of the organisation said in a statement. “For this inquiry to be of maximum benefit for Inuit, it must be led by indigenous women including us as Inuit women.”
Alex Neve of Amnesty International Canada said that the document underpinning the inquiry failed to include any specific mention of an investigation into police conduct and practices. During Wednesday’s announcement, the ministers promised the inquiry would address widespread complaints of police failure to protect indigenous women equally. “We will look to the federal government, to provincial governments and territorial governments now to live up to that assurance,” said Neve.
Amid skepticism over whether the inquiry would lead to tangible change for indigenous women in Canada, Assembly of First Nations national chief Perry Bellegarde vowed his organisation would work to ensure the inquiry’s recommendations are implemented.
“Indigenous women and girls, their lives matter,” he said. “It’s a national tragedy, but it’s an international shame.”
Canada’s indigenous community makes up about 4% of the population and grapples with rates of poverty, incarceration and suicide rates that are much higher than non-indigenous Canadians.
Many continue to reel from the effects of Canada’s church-run residential school system – described as a tool of cultural genocide by a truth commission last year – while some First Nations communities continue to struggle with inadequate, overcrowded housing and boil water advisories.
For years, calls for a national inquiry into the thousands of missing and murdered indigenous women were met with silence. Stephen Harper, Canada’s former prime minister, argued the tragic events should be viewed as isolated crimes rather than any kind of “sociological phenomenon”. His successor, Justin Trudeau, campaigned on a promise to heed the calls and move ahead with the inquiry.
Denise Maloney Pictou, whose mother was killed in South Dakota in 1976 by members of the American Indian Movement, said her family had been waiting 40 years for this day. “We’re all very nervous. We’re hopeful. We have faith,” she said.
“This is a historic day for our families,” she added. “All our family wants is the acknowledgement that our family members matter, that they had value, because they certainly had value in our families’ lives.”