Mother of homicide victim Kelly Goforth heartened by Regina motion

The mother of a First Nations woman killed in 2013 says she's encouraged by Regina City Council's motion calling for a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women.

"It's very encouraging to know that we're not alone," Maxine Goforth said. "These are very compassionate people, you know, you can just feel, you know, they were talking from their hearts."

Goforth is the mother of Kelly Goforth, whose body was found in a Regina industrial area in September 2013. Clayton Bo Eichler has been charged with first-degree murder.

Mayor Michael Fougere and the rest of council approved the motion at their regular meeting Monday night. Fougere said council will send a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling for an inquiry or round table on missing and murdered indigenous women.

"I can't imagine as a father with a daughter how I'd feel if it was my daughter," Fougere told council members.

"To the parents of these women, the wife, daughter affected by this, this is profoundly moving and disturbing. It's our obligation as a community to stand together and hear our voice."

According to an RCMP report, over the past three decades more than 1,000 aboriginal women have gone missing or have been killed.
 
Council amended its original motion to ensure that something would come out of an inquiry.

"An action plan to address the issue of murdered and missing aboriginal aboriginal woman, I think is very, very important to have," Fougere said.