The national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women officially began on Thursday, with British Columbia judge Marion Buller as the chief commissioner.
CTV News Channel asked Mi’kmaq lawyer and Ryerson University professor Pam Palmater about the inquiry’s promises -- and shortcomings.
What should be the inquiry’s priorities?
“I think the government has really left the commissioners with a huge challenge because the families said they wanted certain things. The most important thing they wanted was a review of all the cases that were improperly handled by police, never filed or misfiled. I mean, that’s literally thousands of cases. That’s the priority, (but) that’s not even in the terms of reference. (The commissioners) are not allowed to an investigation of any of the cases.”
Is the issue too big to address in this type of inquiry?
“I think had (the federal government) really listened to indigenous peoples, and understood what they wanted from this, they would have left more than a two-year window and a lot more than $40 million…This is probably the most massive inquiry Canada is ever going to engage in, but they’ve really circumscribed it in terms of time and money.”
Are indigenous communities’ concerns going to be taken into consideration throughout the process?
“That’s what we are hoping. The families and First Nations all across the country have been very vocal about the fact that they need these cases looked at and one of the biggest issues is police racism and abuse all across the country.”
Do you think the right people are involved in this inquiry?
“That’s a big question. Part of the problem with the commissioners is that indigenous peoples didn’t have a say. We didn’t have a say in the terms of reference, so we’re really left just hoping now, hoping that these commissioners can rise to the challenge and really get at the root of what’s wrong.”
