In Search of Justice and Hope: Canada Officially Launches the National Inquiry for MMIW– This inquiry has the power to look into all cases, cold or closed, despite any active police investigation that may be on-going.–

Turtle Island- August 3^rd, 2016 will remain an infamous moment in history for Indigenous people, as it marks the official launch of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.  In the past 30 years close to 2,000 women and girls have been reported missing or murdered across Canada, vanishing without a shred of evidence, or adequate inquiries into their demise.  Families of the missing and murdered have been attempting for decades to obtain justice for their loved ones, and now each one will be properly investigated.  This inquiry has the power to look into all cases, cold or closed, despite any active police investigation that may be on-going.

The Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett has been a leading instrument in the process for the launch of this inquiry.  She stated that “the commission is directed to make recommendations on the concrete actions to remove the systemic causes of violence and increase the safety of Indigenous women and girls in Canada, and also to make recommendations about commemorating and honoring the memory of the missing and murdered women and girls.”

A decade ago the Native Women’s Association of Canada started “Sisters in Spirit”, the first government-funded database for the cases of missing and murdered women in Canada.  After four short years the women and girls were silenced yet again.  After four short years they had reported close to 600 missing and murdered women and girls spanning over 30 years.  Many critics believe that the end of “Sisters in Spirit” was a means to silence the NWAC and the progress they had started to make.

In January of 2011, the Families of Sisters in Spirit was formed as a means to continue with the progress made, and to support the families through honoring sisters in spirit through public awareness and advocacy.  The “Families of Sisters in Spirit” is an all-volunteer autonomous group that accepts no government funding.  They are accountable first and foremost to the families and communities that are directly affected, and are committed to creating safe spaces for the families to share stories or strategize without fear of reprise.

“No More Silence” and the “Native Youth Sexual Health Network” have also been instrumental in this inquiry and the groundwork leading up to this historical moment for Indigenous families of the missing and murdered.

In 2012, “Walking with our Sisters”, a commemorative traveling art installation, was created to honor the lives of the missing and murdered women and girls in Canada and the United States.  Consisting of close to 2,000 “vamps” or moccasin tops, each pair represents an Indigenous woman, girl, two-spirit, or trans person that have lost their lives to senseless acts of violence.  This travelling installation began as a callout issued on Facebook for people to create these vamps, in hopes to acquire 600 pairs.  Walking with our Sisters received an overwhelming response to this request, tripling the request in just over a year.  The intention of the vamps is to represent the unfinished paths of these individuals, to pay respect to their lives, and to show they are not forgotten.  These vamps represent the sisters, mothers, daughters, aunties, grandmothers, cousins, wives, and friends whose paths were so violently cut short.

“Walking with our Sisters” was hosted in Akwesasne from November 6^th to the 27^th, in 2015 at the Kawenohke Community Center, with lots of help from community members, and programs alike.  Community conversations were started months beforehand, with different “bead-in’s” and educational events held throughout the community to help raise awareness for the missing and murdered.

This is a monumental step in the right direction for the families of these individuals, as it provides hope to many who thought it was lost forever.  There remain concerns over the mandate of this commission, as there is a discrepancy between what has been said and what’s been written for this document, according to Christa Big Canoe, the legal advocacy director at the Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto and Pamela Palmater, Chair in Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University.  Both women have also been instrumental in this National Inquiry.

Both ladies believe that there needs to be a “parallel process” to ensure the systemic problems of all cases are examined.  Big Canoe stated, “If it’s important enough to say over and over again to families and to the public, it should be important enough to include, actually, in the terms of reference… People aren’t going to recall what was said on the day that it was launched, all they have to work with is the legal document that actually gives through legislative powers, authority to the commissioners.”  Accomplishments thus far have been a long time coming, decades of work, many tears and prayers, but now families will have a chance to seek justice and heal.

BY: Ohseraseia:hawi