Survivors and families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls are preparing for what91裸聊视频檚 anticipated to be a highly emotional ceremony in Gatineau, Que., on Monday to mark the release of a report that names the issue as nothing short of a 91裸聊视频済enocide.91裸聊视频
In the final report, chief commissioner Marion Buller says the that national inquiry had a short time to do its work but within that period, survivors provided 91裸聊视频渋mportant truths.91裸聊视频
91裸聊视频淭hese truths force us to reconsider where the roots of violence lie, and in doing so, to reconsider the solutions,91裸聊视频 she writes.
91裸聊视频淚 hope that knowing these truths will contribute to a better understanding of the real lives of Indigenous people and the violations of their human and Indigenous rights when they were targeted for violence.91裸聊视频
Canadians live in a country whose laws and institutions perpetuate violations of these rights, Buller adds, noting they 91裸聊视频渁mount to nothing less than the deliberate, often covert campaign of genocide.91裸聊视频
91裸聊视频淭his is not what Canada is supposed to be about,91裸聊视频 she says. 91裸聊视频淚t is not what it purports to stand for.91裸聊视频
The findings of the federally-funded inquiry are contained within a massive document that focuses on legal issues including policing and the need to effectively respond to human trafficking cases, sexual exploitation and violence, including in the sex industry.
It also stresses the need to ensure that failures in policing, health services and child welfare are not brushed off as failures of the past.
91裸聊视频淭he reality is that many of the people who testified before the national inquiry have lived through, and continue to heal from, these policies,91裸聊视频 the report says.
91裸聊视频淢any more people are in current conflict with them.91裸聊视频
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Throughout the course of its mandate, the inquiry has faced numerous challenges.
It was plagued by headlines about staff turnover: two executive directors and its director of research left, and so did lawyers, community-relations workers, and numerous communications staff.
A Metis commissioner from Saskatchewan, Marilyn Poitras, abruptly announced her resignation in July 2017, citing concerns about the commission91裸聊视频檚 structure.
In response to Poitras91裸聊视频檚 resignation, a number of families and advocates called for a reboot of the commission, but Buller maintained the body would remain focused on completing its 91裸聊视频渢remendously important work.91裸聊视频
For its part, the federal government sidestepped calls for a re-set. It91裸聊视频檚 now looking ahead at the report91裸聊视频檚 release.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett, who would not speak to the specifics of the report ahead of its public release, said in an interview that the final document is not the end of the journey.
The federal government will now have to up its game in terms of 91裸聊视频渞acism and sexism in policing91裸聊视频 and all institutions, as well as accelerate progress on child welfare reforms, she said.
During the government91裸聊视频檚 pre-inquiry sessions ahead of the inquiry91裸聊视频檚 launch, Bennett said the government heard 91裸聊视频渢ime and time again91裸聊视频 about a legal system that wasn91裸聊视频檛 working for Indigenous women and girls 91裸聊视频 from reporting to police, to being taken seriously, to the way searches were conducted, to the charges that resulted or didn91裸聊视频檛.
Similar issues were raised during the course of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission91裸聊视频檚 work.
The former chairman of the commission that reported on the legacy of Canada91裸聊视频檚 residential schools, Sen. Murray Sinclair, said his commission heard from numerous women who had been victimized sexually in residential schools who felt they weren91裸聊视频檛 believed by police.
91裸聊视频淭hey were of the view that the officer not only didn91裸聊视频檛 believe them but he, and it was almost always a male, was disrespectful towards them,91裸聊视频 Sinclair said in a recent interview.
Independent MP Jody Wilson-Raybould, who was Canada91裸聊视频檚 first Indigenous justice minister when the inquiry was launched, said in a recent interview that she anticipates the report will raise the awareness about the ongoing tragedy.
She hopes the report and recommendations will be seriously considered, she said, adding there91裸聊视频檚 no question there are systemic barriers, including racism and bias, in institutions.
91裸聊视频淭here needs to be justice for Indigenous women,91裸聊视频 she said.
Families of victims, survivors and advocacy organizations, like the Native Women91裸聊视频檚 Association of Canada, have been calling for years for an inquiry. There has also been a desire for answers on the magnitude of the problem.
In 2005, the association created a database tracking cases and produced a 2010 report documenting 582 missing and murdered Indigenous women.
In 2014, the RCMP released a national overview and pegged the number at nearly 1,200 between 1980 and 2012.
The final report says that despite best efforts to gather information related to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, it concludes that 91裸聊视频渘o one knows an exact number.91裸聊视频
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Kristy Kirkup, The Canadian Press
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