MMIWG inquiry announcement of 1 Sask. stop 'very troubling': FSIN vice-chief

A vice-chief from the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations says the fact the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls has so far scheduled only one stop in Saskatchewan is "very troubling."

On Thursday, it was announced Saskatoon would be scene of a week-long hearing Oct. 23. It's the only Saskatchewan site selected. That came as a shock to FSIN first vice-chief Kimberly Jonathan.

Now she is calling on the federal ministers to step in. 

"How much trauma and grief and hurt do our families have to go through for the ministers to step in and say, 'OK, we are doing this differently. We are going to ensure not only that the families are heard but that they are heard in a meaningful way," Jonathan said. 

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Jonathan and others met with the inquiry commissioners on Wednesday for a second time. After that meeting, she says, they were optimistic that Saskatchewan families would be properly listened to and respected during the inquiry process. 

Now Jonathan says she fears families from the province's north and elsewhere will be completely left out. 

"Where do we go from here? I've received texts, I've received phone calls saying how disrespectful this to us. We are not just numbers," she said. 

Inquiry's bumpy start

Since the beginning the inquiry has been marred by controversy.

Its first public hearings took place in Whitehorse from May 30 to June 2, but then further testimony was delayed until fall due to staffing issues.

Then came the resignations. Inquiry executive director Michele Moreau resigned last Friday — the fourth upper-level staffer to resign in the past month.

There have been calls for the chief commissioner, Marion Buller, to resign. She said Thursday she will not. 

Jonathan said the inquiry is too important to give up on, but she hopes Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould will step in to make things right.

"Let's fix this now before it continues to go sideways ... because this is blowing up," Jonathan said. 

The inquiry was formed to examine the systemic causes of violence directed against Indigenous women and girls in Canada and find some way to memorialize the missing and murdered victims — which some say could number as high as 4,000.

Fears the North will be left out

Jonathan said over two days of meeting with commissioners from the inquiry, FSIN and other groups in Saskatchewan were working on a Saskatchewan-specific plan.

Part of that plan involved the province's north. Now, she said, they could very easily be left out. Travelling costs to access the hearing could be significant barriers she said, especially since the closure of Saskatchewan Transportation Company. 

"Many times we've heard that the north, they feel like have been forgotten, that they are not being heard ...This needs to be structured around families, not just what is convenient for [the inquiry]."

Nine hearings have been scheduled in the following cities:

• Sept. 10: Thunder Bay, Ont.
• Sept. 25: Smithers, B.C.
• Oct. 16: Winnipeg.
• Oct. 23: Saskatoon.
• Oct. 30: Halifax.
• Nov. 6: Edmonton.
• Nov. 13: Yellowknife.
• Nov. 27: Maliotenam, Que.
• Dec. 4: Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.

Chief commissioner Buller said at a press conference in Vancouver Thursday that the dates and cities announced were just the first set of dates being announced, with more to come in 2018 that will include smaller and more remote communities.

The inquiry now plans to make advance community visits with a health and legal team to meet with and prepare the families and to seek advice from Elders in the community ahead of the hearings.

"We learned that from Whitehorse, that this groundwork is critical, not only to prepare ourselves, but the families," said Buller.

"I think primarily what I would have done differently is I would have slowed down, rather than push for time and push time limits."

Different tone from earlier this week 

Thursday's reaction marks a significant departure in tone from what indigenous leaders and community members were saying about the inquiry earlier this week. 

After a closed door meeting with commissioners on Wednesday, FSIN vice-chief Heather Bear was cautiously optimistic about the inquiry. 

"For Saskatchewan, we've been waiting for this inquiry. We support this inquiry and we are glad they are here and we want to make sure we learn from some of the challenges that have been faced in the early parts of the inquiry," she told CBC News. 

Jonathan's own thoughts were along the same lines: despite the missteps and controversies surrounding the inquiry, Saskatchewan is prepared to move forward. She said the FSIN was "patient" with the inquiry while other groups were critical. Now much of that optimism has evaporated. 

Erica Beaudin of Regina Treaty/Status Indian Service was also at Wednesday's meeting. Afterwards she said she was hopeful, but that the inquiry itself is only the first step.

"It's going to require the willingness of all of us to work together to create systemic change as well as change within ourselves individually, our families, community ... so my optimism is in the human condition, that we all want this," she said.