Trudeau: we’ll lift First Nations funding cap

AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde adjusts a blanket presented to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau following speeches at the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly in Gatineau, Quebec, Tuesday…

The first phase of the national inquiry will consult the families of missing and murdered indigenous women to seek input on the design of the process.

She threw her support behind Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who kicked off the first phase of a national inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women Tuesday.

Today Prime Minister Trudeau addressed the Assembly of First Nations Chief’s Conference in Ottawa.

“Chiefs of Ontario played a key role in mounting the pressure on the previous Conservative government and in raising awareness of the issue within the general public”.

“The issue of violence against women – we have the second highest number of missing and murdered indigenous women and so for the province to come together and work together collaboratively with agencies … we’re looking at some very concrete solutions”.

Past studies have linked the violence to racism, sexism, colonialism, poverty, unemployment, lack of safe transportation, mental health and substance abuse, according to Status of Women Minister Patty Hajdu.

Wilson-Raybould, Bennett and Hadju attended a private traditional ceremony in Gatineau Monday held to honour the work the government is doing with the inquiry.

“The First Peoples of Canada have suffered for too much and too long”, Bellegarde said.

This approach is consistent with our calls for a new relationship and collaborative approach to addressing priorities.

“In every instance, we need your help”, he said promising to be a partner with First Nations.

Some family members said they felt compelled to head to Parliament Hill to hear first-hand how the initial steps of the inquiry will take shape.

Speaking before Trudeau took the stage, AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde did not hide his enthusiasm for the promises made by the new Liberal government, especially following a hard relationship with the Conservatives.

Native leaders and activists have been calling for an inquiry for more than a decade, since dozens of prostitutes went missing in Vancouver’s seedy Downtown Eastside and were later determined to have been victims of a serial killer.

Trudeau also announced that his Liberal government plans to lift a long-standing cap on First Nations funding, even as the economic and political pressure on the federal pocketbook continues to mount.

The prime minister has vowed to move on implementing recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including the pledge to look into the question of missing and murdered aboriginal women.

Indigenous women make up four per cent of Canada’s female population, and 16 per cent of all women murdered in Canada between 1980 and 2012 were Indigenous women.

“We want to hear from the families and ensure that the inquiry meets their needs”, Bennett said.