THUNDER BAY – Families of missing and murdered women from across Northwestern Ontario had their first chance to share their experiences with federal government ministers as the groundwork for a long-awaited national inquiry is starting to be built.
More than 130 people gathered at the Victoria Inn on Wednesday during the second day of the federal government’s pre-inquiry consultation session with families of missing and murdered indigenous women.
The participants met with Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett and Minister of Status of Women Patty Hajdu, who are two of the three federal ministers tasked with designing and launching the public inquiry into the nearly 1,200 cases of missing or murdered women spanning from 1980 to 2012.
In addition to hearing from the families, the ministers also heard many stories of close calls from survivors of violence.
While it wasn’t expected, it provided another layer to the conversations that will help shape the eventual inquiry.
“I think we’ll learn from all of these stories. They’re especially important in this pre-inquiry phase because it makes sure we’re not missing an experience or a circumstance that maybe we would not have considered had we not heard it in this pre-inquiry consultation phase,” Hajdu said.
“This is a really important stage. We want to make sure when we design the inquiry itself that those voices that maybe aren’t reflected in what we might think as a government, as an agency, even as a country, are important to be included and we’re not missing those other voices.”
The process will continue across the country, with similar meetings scheduled to take place in the Northwest Territories, Yukon and British Columbia. The consultations, which are the first phase, will also involve First Nations leaders, provincial and territorial governments as well as other stakeholders to help determine the scope, terms of reference objectives and commissioners of the inquiry.
While there is no firm commitment for when the inquiry will begin, Bennett said it is important to move quickly to put an end to what she called a tragedy.
“As much as people want a pre-inquiry consultation there is this balance between getting it right with a proper pre-inquiry consultation but getting on with the commission, meaning putting in place those concrete actions,” Bennett said.
One of the family members was Norah Beardy, who travelled more than 12 hours on ice roads from North Caribou Lake First Nation to Thunder Bay. Her daughter, Candace Beardy, was murdered by her common-law spouse on Jan. 19, 2014.
“I’m hoping it will be the start of my healing journey,” she said through tears when asked why she came. “Our communities are in remote places and we’ve come a long way just to give our stories to be heard.”
Beardy was joined by her sisters and North Caribou Lake First Nation Chief Dinah Kanate, who said it was humbling to be asked to accompany the family.
Violent incidents, such as the murder-suicide that resulted in the death of Candace Beardy, have devastating consequences in communities that are so small and tight-knit.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from. The effect is the same. When that happened it affected the whole community,” Kanate said. “When you hear all these stories you realize you’re not alone and it’s good to know there’s other support out there that can help people deal with these situations.”
The discussions particularly hit home for Hajdu, the Thunder Bay-Superior North MP.
“These types of consultations, even in the pre-inquiry stage, are very emotional,” Hajdu said. “People have had experiences that in many cases are still raw. (Here) in my own hometown I know many of the people that are speaking in the circle so it makes it especially poignant for me.”
The consultation was the second meeting ministers have had with family members, following a session held in Ottawa in December.
This first phase is expected to continue into the spring.
