Itâs âcompletely unrealisticâ for the federal inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls to release an important in-depth interim report by its November deadline, according to a Miâkmaq lawyer keeping close tabs on the case.
Citing a slow rollout and poor communications with the public, Pam Palmater said the inquiryâs commissioners are taking too long to hold hearings with families of victims. The meetings are expected to take place this spring.
âAnd thatâs not nearly enough. The whole intention of an interim report was a year after youâve been working, here is what weâve heard so far. But weâre talking about literally a few months,â Palmater, chair of indigenous governance at Ryerson University, told CTVâs Power Play on Tuesday.
In an update on Tuesday, lead commissioner Marion Buller said that less than 10 per cent of the Liberal governmentâs $53.8 million budget for the inquiry has been spent. Buller also said the process will allow families of victims to tell their own stories in their own way.
âWe must find the truth. That will be through research and hearings,â Buller said.
But Palmater said a sizeable chunk of the budget is already spent and the process âhasnât even started.â
âI think part of the problem is the lack of communication,â she said. âHad they been working with the families from the get-go -- and I donât mean just a few select people, but the families and the womenâs organizations and the people who have been advocating this for literally four decades -- I think we wouldâve been much further along.â
Palmater has criticized the inquiryâs terms of reference since they were released last August, saying that the commissioners wonât be able to analyze possible police wrongdoing -- including allegations of sexual assault -- and address âthe heart of the matter.â
âHad this inquiry been constructed properly, you really would have to start from scratch. Because what you have from the police is really incomplete data,â she said.
But there are some upsides to the inquiry, Palmater said. She said the previous Conservative government wouldnât even entertain the idea of holding an inquiry, and that itâs admirable that the commissioners intend to only go into communities where they are invited.
âThe fact that itâs trauma-informed, the fact that thereâs going to be health supports for everyone, that it is just focused on women and girls ⌠and the fact that their motto is do no harm,â Palmater said.
The commissioners have not determined a specific start date or location for hearings, but Buller said that a logistics team is considering several options.
According to the inquiryâs mandate, the commissioners will investigate the root causes of violence against indigenous women and girls. The commissioners are also open to hearing from indigenous men and boys who have relevant testimony, but there will be no forensic reviews of cases involving men and boys.
With files from the Canadian Press
