Letter to the Prime Minister about the National Inquiry

Dear Prime Minister:

 

In early July, we held our second National Workshop for Aboriginal Steelworkers in Edmonton. As we sat around a talking circle, some of the more than 60 delegates shared stories of the pain they have suffered because of the loss of a beloved mother, sister, aunt, or other female relative. Not surprisingly, delegates reaffirmed their support for an effective national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women.

 

The United Steelworkers knows that the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women is a Steelworker issue. It’s a Canadian issue. That’s why we have offered financial and moral support to the Native Women’s Association of Canada, which has played a leading role in raising awareness of and action on this issue. And that’s why we are also offering financial and other support to Steelworkers who have lost loved ones to this crisis and who want to attend a hearing of the national inquiry.

 

But I am deeply concerned that the Canadian government is not providing adequate support to the national inquiry, and, as a result, is not supporting families of the missing and murdered. The inquiry has struggled with logistics, when it should be paying attention to Indigenous women, to Indigenous women’s organizations, and to Indigenous families.

 

We need to hear the families’ stories, and the families need to be treated with respect, dignity, and support. And then we, as a country, need to act on what we have heard. It would be an additional tragedy if the inquiry process were mishandled due to inadequate resourcing. On behalf of all Steelworkers across Canada, I call upon you and your government to fully support the national inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women so that it can fulfill its critical mission.

 

Sincerely,