Carolyn Bennett confirms meeting with families of missing, murdered indigenous women

Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett reiterated her government's commitment to renewing Canada's relationship with its indigenous people during a speech to First Nations on Thursday.

"This government shares your passion and commitment to a renewed relationship. We all together have both an exhilarating and daunting job ahead," Bennett said in closing remarks to a group of chiefs and First Nations delegates after three days of meetings organized by the Assembly of First Nations in Gatineau, Que.

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Bernadette Smith, whose sister Claudette Osborne has been missing since 2008, expressed concerns earlier in the day about the ministerspeakingwith other groups before meetingwith the families.

Bennett confirmed shewill be meeting with the families of missing and murdered indigenous women in Ottawa on Friday "as a first step" towardthe launch of a national inquiry in 2016.

"We'll meet with the families from this region, with the goal of designing the inquiry and the process and then we will go out and meet with the families in all of your regions."

Bennett said she will consult not just with the victims' families but also with the provinces and territories, as well as national aboriginal organizations.

"The inquiry will seek recommendations on concrete actions that governments, police services and civil society can take to address and prevent this violence,"Bennett said."My federal colleagues and I will need your helpto make sure we get it right."

Bennett added thatleadership means "askingnot telling."

"It means that we know the solutions are with you and that our job is to actively listen and to harvest those solutions," shesaid.

Bennett also confirmed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be meeting with national aboriginal organizations next Wednesday, a day after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is to presentits final report in Ottawa.

Carolyn Bennett on MMIW inquiry

9 years ago

Duration 13:08

Indigenous Affairs minister talks about the national inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women

Dawn Lavell-Harvard, president of the Native Women's Association, addressed the chiefs meeting earlier Thursday.

She spoke about the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women, as well as the government's announcement confirmingthe process to launch an inquiry is underway.

Lavell-Harvardsaid she would like to see a nationalinquiry address racism within the ranks of the RCMP.

Her comments followed a surprising admission Wednesdayby RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson, who conceded before the assembly of chiefs that there are racists inside his police force.

Paulson's remarks came afterGrand Chief Doug Kelly,leader of the Sto:lo Tribal Council in British Columbia, confronted the top Mountiepublicly, urging him to addressracism within his force.

In an interview airing on CBC News Network's Power & Politics, Kelly said he never expected Canada's top cop to be so frank.

"Ialmost fell out of my chair," Kelly said.

AFN National Chief Perry Bellegardetold the chiefs thatPaulson's admission was "a powerful statement" and "a very public commitment to reconciliation and to addressing racism wherever it may live in the RCMP force."

'This government gets it'

In his closing remarks, Bellegarde called the three-day assembly "historic."

WhileBellegarderefrained from personal attacks and never once mentioned the former prime minister by name, he drew comparisons between Stephen Harper's Conservatives and the new Liberal government under Trudeau.

Trudeauaddressed the chiefs on Tuesday, whenhelaid out his top 5 priorities for a renewed relationship with Canada's indigenous people.

This issue is high on the radar and we're going to keep it high on the radar.- Perry Bellegarde said of an inquiry into missing, murdered indigenous women

"The prime ministerjoined us herea few days ago to acknowledge that our constitutionally protected rightsare not only legal obligations but a sacredobligation."

Bellegarde saidwhat he heard from Trudeau and his ministers this week gave him cause forhope that the relationship between Ottawa and First Nationswillbe"less adversarial" going forward.

"No more will this federal government spend $106 million fighting our rights," he said. "No more will this federal government waste $1 billion over five years on funding that should have went to First Nations but lapsed. And no more will there be unilateral changes."

Trudeau said his government would also look torepealbillspassed "unilaterally" by the Conservatives, with Bennett saying ThursdayFirst Nations want the Liberals to rescind the First Nations Financial Transparency Act.

Bellegarde said what resonated with him most was the government's promise to lift the two-per-cent funding cap on First Nations programssomething he also urged Harper to do.

"This government gets it," Bellegarde said.

B.C. Chief who confronted RCMP commissioner speaks out

9 years ago

Duration 6:18

Doug Kelly on why he confronted RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson about racism in the ranks.

The national chief said he was encouraged to see thisgovernment move forward with a nationalinquiry into missing and murderedindigenous women.

"This issue is high on the radar and we're going to keep it high on the radar," Bellegarde said in a veiled reference to an answerHarper gaveCBC News chief correspondent Peter Mansbridgein an interview one yearago.

"It isn'treally high on our radar," Harper said last December, when asked if he would consider launching some sort of investigation intothe 1,200 documentedcases of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

Bellegarde also noted that the new government vowed to implementing all 94 recommendations included in the TRC report, something the Conservatives did not commit to.

"We feel stronger and hopeful today because Canada has committed itself to fully implementing the calls to action starting with the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People."

Bellegardewas elected AFN chief a year ago after his predecessorShawn Atleo resigned amid protests from chiefs who thought he'd grown too close to Harper's Conservatives.

"Your AFN is back," said Bellegarde in his closing remarks. "It's going to be strong, united, relevant, responsible and respectful."