The B.C. government has shown its support towards a family liaison unit for families involved with the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered indigenous Women and Girls.
The government passed an order in council last week that gives the commissioners of the National Inquiry the authority to examine matters within jurisdiction of the province.
The national inquiry’s mandate is to examine and report on systemic causes of violence experienced by Indigenous women and girls, including their greater vulnerability to violence. Included in this are the historical, social, economic, institutional and cultural factors that contribute to the violence.
The Province of B.C. has also submitted a proposal to the federal government to establish a family information liaison unit that will be a point of contact for affected families.
“We are heartened that across Canada this topic is getting the attention and leadership it deserves,” said Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Suzanne Anton. “British Columbia supports the national inquiry as a critical step toward collaborative, meaningful and transformative action on this important issue.”
Anton added that while much remains to be done for Indigenous peoples, the national inquiry is a chance to get it right for the next generation.
The province’s commitment to the national issue builds on B.C.’s own Oppal Inquiry, which looked at specific cases of missing and murdered women in the downtown eastside and along the Highway of Tears.
