Marion Buller. Photo courtesy of uvic.ca
The inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls released its interim report today, calling for immediate action on several fronts, including the establishment of national task force to reopen and reinvestigate cases.
The chief commissioner says it will be the most comprehensive review ever done, and the families of the victims will get the closure they are looking for.
Marion Buller says as part of the inquiry’s work, it has reviewed 98 reports into missing Indigenous women, containing more than 1,200 recommendations, most of which have never been acted on.
“As a result of our work, we have completed the most comprehensive literature review ever done to date, this is a truly historical report,” said Buller.
Commission member, Brian Eyolfson, says it is clear that more support is immediately needed for families and survivors.
“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel here,” said Eyolfson. “Through the work of the TRC, health supports were established. They now need to be accessible to families and survivors who have lost loved ones.”
Another key recommendation for immediate action is the establishment of a national task force, made up largely of Indigenous members. It will have the power to take another look at how police agencies handled some of the cases.
Buller says the task force can help provide closure to the families.
“They desperately want answers about what happened to their lost loved ones,” said Buller. “They want to know why investigations were stopped, why leads were not followed up on.”
The inquiry has a two-year, $54 million mandate. Commission Chair, Marion Buller, says it will likely need more time and more money, but she couldn’t say how much.
She did say the commission must also be prepared to complete its work under the original time frame budget if the federal government says no to more funding.