Loretta Saunders's cousin hopeful for missing and murdered indigenous women inquiry

Consulting with family members of missing and murdered indigenous women is going to be a "wonderful part" of a newly announced public inquiry process, according to a cousin of Loretta Saunders, the Inuk woman who was found murdered nearly two years on a New Brunswick highway, and whose death brought additional focus to the issue.

"I'm really hopeful," said Holly Jerrett, whose cousin was murdered in Nova Scotia, where she had been planning to write an academic thesis on murdered and missing aboriginal women. 

"I really honestly believe that there's going to be movement forward now — some actual real movement forward."

The Trudeau government announced phase one of the national inquiry plan on Tuesday.

Ministers were set to start meeting with the family members of murdered and missing women in Ottawa this week.

• Loretta Saunders murder was 'despicable, horrifying and cowardly'

"They need to know that our families are fractured, our families are damaged," said Jerrett.

"The proud, strong Inuk in me doesn't want to say anything like that but the fact and the reality is that we are."

What will work

Jerrett said as part of the national inquiry, indigenous people need to create their own dynamic of healing so that they don't become hurt by another system.

I really honestly believe that there's going to be movement forward now — some actual real movement forward- Holly Jerrett

"Something that's going to work in Halifax for a Mi'kmaq family is not going to be the same kind of strategy that's going to work in Iqaluit with an Inuk family," she said.

"They really need to let us determine where we go."

She also said government needs to find a way to diversify and become empathetic.

#AmINext?

Jerrett was instrumental in creating social media awareness around missing and murdered aboriginal women.

She launched an electronic petition last year that garnered 347,000 signatures from 100 countries.

Another part of the campaign involved having a picture taken with a sign that reads #AmINext?

Jerrett isn't sure in what capacity, if any, she'll be involved with the inquiry. But, she says her campaign helped move a government and that's what she set out to do.

"I think the satisfaction in knowing I've moved a little bit, created a little bit of mobilization with [#AmINext]... that's satisfaction enough."