for Missing and Murdered
Indigenous Women

Aboriginal women and the

of her ordeal have encouraged communities
all across Canada to rally together in favour

James Mangan
Team Member

ndigenous women constitute an alarmingly

high statistic when it comes to murdered
and missing women in Canada. As the federal
election approaches (expected this coming
fall), Canadians can expect to hear more
about the proposed national inquiry into
missing and murdered Aboriginal women.
Unfortunately, the current government has
shown apathy towards such an inquiry.

If conducted, this national inquiry is
expected to find answers as to why aboriginal
women tend to be higher targets for assaults
and murders in Canada. Demands from
Canadians for an inquiry have reached

the media’s attention over the past year,
with the loudest voices often emerging

from Aboriginal communities. However,
recent events, such as the assault on Rinelle
Harper, have catalyzed the discussion to the
extent that the inquiry could potentially

be an issue in the next federal election.

Rinelle Harper is an Aboriginal 16 year

old who was severely assaulted and left to
die after being thrown off of a bridge in
Winnipeg last November. The tragic details

of a national inquiry with the intention
of avoiding preventable crimes being
committed against Aboriginal women.

This national inquiry has not gone
unchallenged. Over the past 30 years,
Canada has faced many constitutional
battles regarding the position of “special
status” held by some of Canada’s most
prominent cultures. The French-Canadian
culture and the Canadian-Aboriginal culture
have been most active in seeking some
form of special status with referendums
characterizing the federal landscape
throughout the first half of the 1990s.

Many Canadians see a national inquiry into
murdered and missing aboriginal women

as an extension of this push for “special
status”. This assumes that a national inquiry
would prioritize the safety and well being

of Aboriginal women over other women
equally at risk for abuse. This is not the
case, since law enforcement is bound by

the law, rather than by national inquiries.

A national inquiry would examine the
root causes as to why Aboriginal women

become victims more so than any other
ethnicity in Canada. According to an RCMP-
led study in late 2013 titled “Missing and
Murdered Aboriginal Women,’ Aboriginal
women were found to be over-represented
whereas the solve rates of female
homicides (90%) do not differ between
Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal victims.

Commissions and inquiries, especially those
that have overwhelming public support, often
hold sway in the development of legislation.
A national inquiry could be the first step to
enacting social reforms that could benefit all
individuals, not just Aboriginal women, who
are at a higher risk of being a victim of crime.

Earlier this year, the Aboriginal People’s
Television Network reported that RCMP
Commissioner Bob Paulson stated the
number of missing and murdered Aboriginal
women was just shy of 1200 over the past
30 years. In May 2014, the CBC reported
that Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney
represented the Conservative government
when he dismissed the call for a national
inquiry by promoting the budget bill,
which included a promise of $25 million
over the next five years to stop violence
against Aboriginal women and girls, along

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Canadian government

with tougher sentencing legislation.

Prince George is no exception when it comes
to Aboriginal women victimhood. In fact,
Prince George can be seen as an example

for why a national inquiry is needed. Over
the past forty years, 18 women have either
disappeared or been found murdered along
Highway 16, 10 of which were Aboriginal.

Investigations into the murders and
disappearances that have occurred on this
stretch of highway, dubbed the “Highway

of Tears,” have never led to a murder
charge, despite the heavy police-work that
has surrounded the investigation at its
height. Northern British Columbia should
be very sympathetic to the need for a
national inquiry into the high rate of crimes
committed against Aboriginal women.

Last month, Rinelle Harper, who survived
and overcame her assault, publically
announced her support inquiry into
missing and murdered Aboriginal
women. She was a victim of one of
Canada’s paramount national issues, and
understands that the first step to solving
this is an examination of its root causes.