A federal survey is asking Canadians to shape the new Liberal government’s inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women.
Over the next few months the pre-inquiry online survey will run alongside meetings with survivors, organizations, and family members.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett says we need to hear from all Canadians before the inquiry gets underway, but a frontline worker with vulnerable women says that’s easier said than done.
Peggy Rubin, executive director of P.A. Outreach says it’ll be hard to get input from people on the streets.
“Street people don’t have any contact with computers, they don’t have any contact with travel to be at a certain place at a certain time. In fact they don’t really even understand the idea of time. Their life is to get up and do what they have to do and get the next meal, or get the next fix, or the next john,” she explained.
“You need to be where the people live… and help them get there and help them with the survey.”
One of the unfortunate realities of Rubin’s job is she’s known victims of killers – people like Monica Burns and Karina Wolfe – “and we have a lot of people leave town and we never hear from them,” Rubin said.
One of the survey questions asks “who do you think should provide views or have an opportunity to participate in the inquiry?”
In the bigger picture Rubin says it is important to talk to those vulnerable people rather than just family members, because loved ones don’t always know the details of that woman’s life before she goes missing or are murdered.
Rubin said she is hopeful that by the time they get to the actual inquiry, the government takes steps to bring in the voices of people she deals with on a daily basis.
If the feds want to hear from some of Canada’s most vulnerable people, it’s not going to be easy, she said.
“I do believe the government is concerned but it’s a lot more complicated than they think, when they’re sitting in their offices saying ‘oh we’re going to go down on the street and ask people some questions.’”
Most importantly Rubin says groups like hers need funding to help women with addictions, and who turn to the sex trade.
The new federal government – including Bennett, Patty Hajdu, Minister of Status of Women, and Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice – launched what it’s calling “inquiry design meetings” on Dec. 11, 2015.
Front-line staff, indigenous organizations, survivors, families and loved ones of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls are invited to the in-person meetings. The government says it will provide financial support for those wishing to attend.
Meetings resume Wednesday in Ontario, and there are no Saskatchewan dates set for January.
A link to the online survey is available here:
http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1448637991710/1448638013197
A list of what’s been discussed at each meeting is available here: http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1448638260896/1448638282066
A discussion guide on the pre-inquiry phase is available here:
http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1451921853861/1451921924809