Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls

DECEMBER 2012 This article privileges Indigenous voices, experiences and stories as one way to challenge the Canadian child welfare concept and worldview that is imbedded in "failure to protect" policies and practices". The "failure to protect" concept is one in which assaulted mothers are held accountable by child protective authorities because their children are unintended victims or witnesses to their mother's experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV).

OCTOBER 2013: This article was first delivered as a paper presented at the Gender and Transitional Justice Conference at Western University, April, 2012. It has been updated to reflect the intervening publication of the Missing Women Inquiry Report in late 2012: British Columbia. Missing Women Commission of Inquiry/Wally T. Oppal, Commissioner. Forsaken: Report of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry (November 19, 2012) [Forsaken]. The article draws upon the author's doctoral work on the relationship between public inquiries and truth commissions: Kim Stanton, "Truth Commissions and Public Inquiries: Addressing Historical Injustices in Established Democracies," (Ph.D. diss., University of Toronto, 2010); Transitional Justice Review, Vol.1, Iss.2, 2013, 59-96

FEBRUARY 2016 OTTAWA - The number of missing and murdered indigenous women across the country is "way bigger'' than 1,200, Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said Monday. Her comments came as the government marked the end of a consultation process with the families of victims as it prepares to establish a public inquiry into these losses.

AUGUST 2015 As federal New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Thomas Mulcair announced his plan to address violence against women in Saskatoon on Monday, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) Interim Chief Kimberly Jonathan was by his side.

JULY 2016 OTTAWA - Policing will require close examination during the inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women, Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said Thursday after questions were raised about a draft copy of the terms of reference.

JULY 2016 The upcoming national inquiry into Canada's missing and murdered Indigenous women will focus on violence prevention, according to a draft document obtained by CBC News. A draft of the terms of reference says commissioners will be given the broad mandate to identify systemic causes of violence and recommend "concrete action" to help end violence against Indigenous women and girls.

SEPTEMBER 2014 Jennifer Moreau / New West Record September 22, 2014 11:09 AM You could call it a surprise attack of parliamentary proportions. The federal NDP wrested control of the House of Commons on Friday, outnumbering the majority-holding Conservatives and forcing a debate on Canada's 1,200 missing and murdered indigenous women.

MARCH 2016 Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett speaks to reporters following a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday. Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS Tragedy of missing, murdered indigenous women bigger than numbers, Carolyn Bennett says Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett says stories of families of missing and murdered indigenous women go beyond statistics.

FEBRUARY 2016 RCMP said 1,017 indigenous women were killed between 1980 and 2012, activists say it's closer to 4,000 Canada's minister for the status of women suggests the number of missing and murdered indigenous women could be as high as 4,000, but a dearth of hard data means it's all but impossible to pinpoint ...

MAY 2016 Rhythm of hundreds of hand drums pulses through Thunder Bay to shore of Lake Superior Mother's Day was a dream come true for a Thunder Bay woman who organized a unique event after she dreamed of bringing hundreds of hand drummers together to bring healing to missing and murdered Indigenous women, youth ...

FEBRUARY 2016 Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton and Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation John Rustad marked the conclusion of the 2016 National Roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls with the following statement: "Ensuring the safety of Indigenous women and girls is one of the defining issues of our time.

JANUARY 2016 Justice Ministers from across the country have been meeting and one of the big topics on the agenda is the upcoming Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry. B.C. Justice Minister Suzanne Anton says her province had a lot to offer.

DECEMBER 2012 Toronto -- The following information was released by Human Rights Watch: Canada's federal government should establish a national commission of inquiry into the country's hundreds of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. This recommendation follows today's release by the British Columbian government of the final report from the provincial Missing Women's Commission of Inquiry.

MARCH 2014 A vigil was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, March 5, 2014, for Loretta Saunders and to call for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women.

MAY 2016 Canadians will find out who will oversee a national public inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and how it will be structured before Parliament breaks for summer, a Liberal cabinet minister says. The government organized 18 pre-inquiry meetings in communities across the country with family members of missing and murdered women and other stakeholders.

FEBRUARY 2016 FREDERICTON (GNB) - New Brunswick is sending a delegation to the second National Roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, to be held Feb. 24-26 in Winnipeg. The delegation will be led by Ed Doherty, minister responsible for aboriginal affairs.

FEBRUARY 2016 The roundtable began on Wednesday with a closed-door session for MMIWG families only, followed by today's sharing circles, where families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls met with participants of the 2016 National Roundtable to discuss directly with provincial, territorial and Indigenous leaders their recommendations for achieving justice and ending violence.

MARCH 2016 The Chair of the UBCM First Nations Relations Committee, Councillor Murry Krause, recently wrote to the UBCM membership regarding resolution 2015-B111, "National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women ". He detailed UBCM's action on the resolution, and encouraged members to engage with Indigenous organizations in response to the severe and widespread violence faced by Indigenous women and girls in BC communities.

FEBRUARY 2016 The number of missing or murdered indigenous women in Canada since 1980 may be as high as 4,000 - far more than previous estimates of 1,200, the federal government has said. The minister for the status of women said there were no accurate figures because of a lack of hard data.

FEBRUARY 2016 Mr. Speaker, last week I had the honour to participate in the 2nd National Roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Winnipeg. This was an important opportunity for the Northwest Territories to engage in the national discussion on how we can take action together to address the root causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls.