The official launch of a national inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls has the support of Kamloops – Thompson – Cariboo MP Cathy McLeod.
McLeod, the Conservative Party’s Indigenous Affairs critic, was present for the announcement in Gatineau, Que. on Wednesday morning.
“Having spent many years as a nurse in Indigenous, rural communities, I too-frequently witnessed first-hand the pain and the violence against women and girls,” McLeod said in a press release. “There is a need to take action in way that will make a real difference.”
McLeod said the Conservative Party supports the public inquiry, as long as it remains focused on reducing tragedies and achieving improvements in the life of indigenous women and girls.
“As families of victims have expressed, justice is needed for these terrible crimes, and not just more resolutions and recommendations,” McLeod stated. “I urge the Government to provide police with the resources they need to bring perpetrators to justice. Sentencing should reflect the serious nature of the crime. I am concerned about the Liberals’ movement away from appropriate sentences for violent crimes.”
The government has committed $53 million to the inquiry which will begin on Sept. 1 and run until Dec. 31, 2018.
