Liberal Party of Canada - Aboriginal Peoples' Commission

News

Liberals push for investigation into missing native women

May 14, 2009

By Sue Bailey

THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA _ The Conservative government is deflecting calls for a public investigation into more than 500 cases of missing or murdered native women.

Liberal MP Anita Neville says her party will push until the government acts.

She says there would be national outrage if hundreds of women from another cultural group were targeted the same way.

A recent report found that 520 native girls and women _ most under the age of 30 _ have been killed or have vanished since 1970.

Two-thirds of them _ 348 women _ were murdered, and almost one-quarter are still missing.

The government cites $5 million spent on the Sisters in Spirit research campaign, and says it's working on a second phase.

Neville says more action is needed.

``Their plight has been ignored long enough _ it's time,'' she said Wednesday in the House of Commons.

The Liberals say they'll write to Justice Minister Rob Nicholson asking for action that goes beyond research.

``It's time to go beyond the record-keeping and find out why the police are not responding,'' Neville said.

``Why are these women missing? Are they women who come from poverty? What are their life circumstances that have put them in this position?''

Media also have a role to play to ensure no missing-person case is swept aside, said Liberal MP and aboriginal affairs critic Todd Russell.

Beverley Jacobs, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, says native girls and women still don't get the same attention from police or the media when they vanish.

Time and again, families are told by officers that their daughter likely ran away or doesn't want to be found, she said.

Jacobs recently compared such brush-offs with the frenzy of police and media attention given similarly tragic but non-native cases.

``We're still dealing with racism, stereotypes, discrimination,'' Jacobs said.

The proportion of missing women has held steady at about 25 per cent in the last two years despite regular updates to the Sisters in Spirit database.

``This suggests a trend of ongoing disappearances: for every woman found alive and removed from the database (or found deceased and re-coded as a case of murder), the name of another missing woman or girl is added,'' Jacobs reported two weeks ago.

``This demonstrates the ongoing severity and urgency of the issue.''

About half the 520 cases occurred in the last nine years.

Researchers stress they can't accurately say whether there has been a surge over time because they don't have enough information on similar cases before 1970.

Details from earlier decades are often sketchy and record-keeping is spotty.

Most of the 520 cases are based in the West where aboriginal populations are highest: 137 in British Columbia, 85 in Alberta, 71 in Manitoba, 59 in Saskatchewan, 59 in Ontario and 17 in Quebec.

The rest are based in the Atlantic provinces and territories or are still being researched.


Home APC Constitution The Importance of the Aboriginal Vote National Executive Policy Aboriginal Liberal Caucus History Aboriginal Electoral Endowment Fund Contact Us Liberal Party of Canada Français	News Liberals push for investigation into missing native women May 14, 2009 By Sue Bailey THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA _ The Conservative government is deflecting calls for a public investigation into more than 500 cases of missing or murdered native women. Liberal MP Anita Neville says her party will push until the government acts. She says there would be national outrage if hundreds of women from another cultural group were targeted the same way. A recent report found that 520 native girls and women _ most under the age of 30 _ have been killed or have vanished since 1970. Two-thirds of them _ 348 women _ were murdered, and almost one-quarter are still missing. The government cites $5 million spent on the Sisters in Spirit research campaign, and says it's working on a second phase. Neville says more action is needed. ``Their plight has been ignored long enough _ it's time,'' she said Wednesday in the House of Commons. The Liberals say they'll write to Justice Minister Rob Nicholson asking for action that goes beyond research. ``It's time to go beyond the record-keeping and find out why the police are not responding,'' Neville said. ``Why are these women missing? Are they women who come from poverty? What are their life circumstances that have put them in this position?'' Media also have a role to play to ensure no missing-person case is swept aside, said Liberal MP and aboriginal affairs critic Todd Russell. Beverley Jacobs, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, says native girls and women still don't get the same attention from police or the media when they vanish. Time and again, families are told by officers that their daughter likely ran away or doesn't want to be found, she said. Jacobs recently compared such brush-offs with the frenzy of police and media attention given similarly tragic but non-native cases. ``We're still dealing with racism, stereotypes, discrimination,'' Jacobs said. The proportion of missing women has held steady at about 25 per cent in the last two years despite regular updates to the Sisters in Spirit database. ``This suggests a trend of ongoing disappearances: for every woman found alive and removed from the database (or found deceased and re-coded as a case of murder), the name of another missing woman or girl is added,'' Jacobs reported two weeks ago. ``This demonstrates the ongoing severity and urgency of the issue.'' About half the 520 cases occurred in the last nine years. Researchers stress they can't accurately say whether there has been a surge over time because they don't have enough information on similar cases before 1970. Details from earlier decades are often sketchy and record-keeping is spotty. Most of the 520 cases are based in the West where aboriginal populations are highest: 137 in British Columbia, 85 in Alberta, 71 in Manitoba, 59 in Saskatchewan, 59 in Ontario and 17 in Quebec. The rest are based in the Atlantic provinces and territories or are still being researched.
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