Murdered, missing Aboriginal women roundtable slated for February

Rebecca Kudloo, president of Pauktuutit, says Inuit communities lack very basic services for abused women, services that southern communities take for granted. (FILE PHOTO)

Building on a commitment they made in Charlottetown in August, Aboriginal and provincial-territorial leaders are planning a roundtable for February 2015 to discuss potential measures to address the high numbers of murdered and missing Aboriginal women in Canada.

That was the news out of Nova Scotia Oct. 22 after a meeting of those leaders, which included Northwest Territories Premier Robert McLeod, according to a joint news release issued by seven Aboriginal organizations including Pauktuutit, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Native Women’s Association of Canada and the Assembly of First Nations.

Rebecca Kudloo, president of Pauktuutit Inuit Women’s Association of Canada, said the outcome of the meeting last week in Nova Scotia was “a positive development” in dealing with violence against Inuit women and girls.

“Violence is at crisis levels in many of our communities which lack basic essential services that are taken for granted in most of Canada,” said Kudloo, in the Oct. 22 news release.

“We look forward to working with the provinces and territories, and hope that our federal partners will join us as well.”

So far, Ottawa has declined to call for a national inquiry into murdered and missing Aboriginal women, much to the disappointment of Aboriginal groups across the country.

On Sept. 15, the federal government released an “Action Plan to Address Family Violence and Violent Crimes Against Aboriginal Women and Girls.”

They have committed $25 million to fund measures between 2015 and 2020.

According to Aboriginal groups who met with provincial and territorial leaders last week, federal ministers will be invited to the upcoming roundtable in February.

February was chosen to coincide with a meeting of the Aboriginal Affairs Working Group, a provincial initiative launched in 2009, which brings together provincial Aboriginal affairs ministers, the five national Aboriginal organizations and the federal government, where possible, to work on issues related to education, economic development, skills training and health.

The exact date and location of the roundtable has not yet been confirmed.

Terry Audla, president of ITK, did not attend last week’s meeting but praised the efforts of leaders, especially Pauktuutit, to move this issue forward.

“Canada has to rise as one big community to tackle violence that is ruining so many lives and families and preventing us from building [a] better future for our children across Inuit Nunangat.”

Dawn Howard, the Native Women’s Association vice-president, said her organization was “pleased that the issue of violence against Aboriginal women and girls is being recognized as an urgent matter that requires a collaborative approach involving community, the provincial/territorial and federal governments.”

An RCMP report, released in May, said indigenous women suffer higher rates of violent crime and that a total of 1,181 Aboriginal women in Canada were murdered or reported missing between 1980 and 2012.

Northern Quebec MP Romeo Saganash forced debate on the subject Sept. 9 in the House of Commons, drawing on painful family experiences to illustrate Canada’s “history of colonialism.”