Expert: National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls – McGill U

PUBLISHED: 9AUG2017

“A coalition composed mainly of relatives of missing and murdered Indigenous women is demanding the replacement of all remaining commissioners and a reset of the inquiry initiated by the federal Liberal government to look into the tragedy.” (The Globe and Mail)

Cassandra Steer, Executive Director of Women in International Security Canada, and Wainwright Junior Fellow in the Faculty of Law at McGill University

“The reasons for Waneek Horn-Miller’s departure from the National Inquiry may well be personal, but if there weren’t already several problems with the Inquiry to date, we wouldn’t even be reading about her departure in the news. Four other members resigned in June, which only adds to the lengthy delays in the process. Families affected cannot place trust in a process that is not publicly transparent, that does not provide them with sufficient information, and that loses member after member from the organisation. The signal being sent is that the systematic violence against our indigenous women in Canada is not being treated seriously. Organisations like the Native Women’s Association of Canada and Femmes Autochthones du Quebec have been lobbying for this Inquiry for years. It’s time that the issue is recognised and taken up seriously as an issue of importance to all Canadians, and that anyone who cares about human rights in Canada rallies in support.”— Cassandra Steer

She co-organized a panel discussion on gender-based violence, the politics of change and challenges of the inquiry into the province and country’s missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls back in March. She also wrote an op-ed about issues related to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Contact info: (514) 398-5098, cassandra.steer@mcgill.ca (English, French)

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