T
HENAT
I
ONALI
NQUI
RYI
NT
O
MI
S
S
I
NGANDMURDE
RE
D
I
NDI
GE
NOUSWOME
NANDGI
RL
S
NWACRE
PORTCARD
L
E
GE
ND
S
ept
ember2016-Dec
ember2016
L
L
OW GRE
E
N-P
AS
S YE
ACT
I
ON
RE
QUI
RE
D
t
ment
Commi
t
ment Commi
si
nc
ompl
e
t
e
ha
sbeenme
t
. i
orneedsmor
e
a en on.
RE
D-F
AI
L
GRE
Y-
I
NS
UF
F
I
CI
E
NT
I
NF
ORMAT
I
ON
Nopr
og
r
es
s
ma
deont
he
c
ommi
t
ment
.
Ca
nnota
s
s
es
sa
t
t
hi
s me.
1.
T
heCommi
s
s
i
on’
sov
er
a
l
l
r
es
pons
i
bi
l
i
t
yt
ode
v
el
opa
nda
dher
et
o
mel
i
nesr
eg
a
r
di
ngt
ooper
a ona
l
/
a
dmi
ni
s
t
r
av
es
t
r
uc
t
ur
e.
ACTI
ON REQUI
RED
Obs
er
v
a ons
:
I
ti
sdi
ffic
ul
tt
oa
s
s
e
s
s me
l
i
ne
sa
se
x
pe
c
t
aonswe
r
enotc
l
e
a
r
l
yl
a
i
douta
st
owhe
nama
i
noffic
ewoul
dbe
s
e
c
ur
e
d,
whe
nc
ont
a
c
ti
nf
or
maont
ot
heCommi
s
s
i
onwoul
dbema
dea
v
a
i
l
a
bl
e
,
orwhe
nawe
bs
i
t
ewoul
dbe
l
a
unc
he
d.
T
i
me
l
i
ne
sf
orhi
r
i
ngs
e
ni
ors
t
a
ffa
r
ea
l
s
ounk
nown.
Whi
l
eNWACr
e
c
og
ni
z
e
st
ha
tpl
a
nni
ngt
a
k
e
s
me
,
t
r
a
ns
pa
r
e
nc
yt
hr
oug
houtt
hepr
oc
e
s
si
se
s
s
e
na
l
,
e
s
pe
c
i
a
l
l
ya
tt
hebe
g
i
nni
ngs
t
a
g
e
s
.
Rec
ommenda ons
:
Ae
rf
ourmont
hs(
S
e
pt
e
mbe
r-De
c
e
mbe
r2016)
,
i
ti
sr
e
c
omme
nde
dt
ha
ta
l
l
r
e
ma
i
ni
ngope
r
aona
l
a
nd
a
dmi
ni
s
t
r
av
epr
oc
e
s
s
e
sbec
ompl
e
t
e
da
ndr
e
por
t
e
donpubl
i
c
l
y
.
I
ti
sf
ur
t
he
rr
e
c
omme
nde
dt
ha
tade
t
a
i
l
e
d me
l
i
nebe
c
omeapubl
i
cdoc
ume
ntt
ha
ti
sr
e
por
t
e
donqua
r
t
e
r
l
y
.
2.
T
heCommi
s
s
i
on’
sov
er
a
l
l
r
es
pons
i
bi
l
i
t
yt
ode
v
el
opa
nda
dher
et
o
Communi
c
a ont
ha
tpr
ov
i
desi
nf
or
ma on,
t
r
a
ns
pa
r
enc
ya
nd
a
c
c
ount
a
bi
l
i
t
y
.
ACTI
ON REQUI
RED
1
Obs
er
v
a ons
:
I
ti
sunf
or
t
una
t
et
ha
tapoi
nt
of
c
ont
a
c
twa
snotna
me
da
sa
ni
nt
e
r
i
mme
a
s
ur
eonc
et
heF
e
de
r
a
l
Gov
e
r
nme
nt
a
nnounc
e
dt
heCommi
s
s
i
one
r
si
nAug
us
t2016.
Ma
nyc
onc
e
r
nsa
ndque
sonsr
e
qui
r
i
ngr
e
s
pons
er
e
ma
i
n
una
ns
we
r
e
d.
T
hel
a
c
kofoffic
i
a
l
phonenumbe
r
s
,
e
ma
i
l
s
,
a
ndus
eofpe
r
s
ona
l
s
oc
i
a
l
me
di
aa
c
c
ount
sr
e
ma
i
nsa
c
onc
e
r
n.
T
hi
sunoffic
i
a
l
a
nduns
e
c
ur
e
ds
t
y
l
eofc
ommuni
c
aonha
sl
e
dt
oi
nc
ons
i
s
t
e
ntme
s
s
a
g
i
nga
ndt
he
pe
r
c
e
p onoff
a
v
our
is
mbyCommi
s
s
i
one
r
s
,
a
st
he
yme
e
tunoffic
i
a
l
l
ywi
t
hs
omef
a
mi
l
yme
mbe
r
sbutnot
ot
he
r
s
.
T
hel
a
c
kof me
l
ya
ndoffic
i
a
l
c
ommuni
c
aonha
sl
e ma
nyf
e
e
l
i
ngdi
s
he
a
r
t
e
ne
da
nddi
s
i
l
l
us
i
one
d.
T
hi
spe
r
c
e
p onofpa
ra
l
i
t
yi
sf
ur
t
he
rr
e
i
nf
or
c
e
dbyt
hel
a
c
koft
r
a
ns
pa
r
e
nc
ye
v
i
de
nc
e
di
nt
hehi
r
i
ngpr
oc
e
s
s
e
s
e
mpl
oy
e
dbyt
heCommi
s
s
i
on.T
hes
e
ni
orpos
ionsofE
x
e
c
uv
eDi
r
e
c
t
or
,
Di
r
e
c
t
orofCommuni
c
aons
,
Di
r
e
c
t
orofHe
a
l
t
h,
a
ndDi
r
e
c
t
orofCommuni
t
yRe
l
aonswe
r
enotpubl
i
c
l
ypos
t
e
da
nda
ppe
a
rt
oha
v
ebe
e
nfil
l
e
d
t
hr
oug
ht
heCommi
s
s
i
one
r
s
’
i
nt
e
r
na
l
ne
t
wor
k
s
.
Anope
nc
a
l
l
woul
dha
v
eg
i
v
e
na
noppor
t
uni
t
yf
orc
a
ndi
da
t
e
s
whoa
r
ewe
l
l
v
e
r
s
e
di
nt
hei
s
s
ue
s
,
ha
v
eag
r
e
a
tde
a
l
ofe
x
pe
r
i
e
nc
ewor
k
i
ngwi
t
ha
nds
upporngf
a
mi
l
i
e
s
,
ha
v
e
a
c
t
e
da
sa
dv
oc
a
t
e
sf
ort
heMMI
WG,
a
r
ewe
l
l
k
nownI
ndi
g
e
nouswome
n,
a
nd/
ora
r
et
wos
pi
r
i
tc
ommuni
t
y
me
mbe
r
st
oc
ont
r
i
but
et
he
i
re
x
pe
rs
et
ot
hewor
koft
heI
nqui
r
y
.
Rec
ommenda ons
:
Mov
i
ngf
or
wa
r
d,
i
ti
sr
e
c
omme
nde
dt
ha
toffic
i
a
l
Communi
qué
sa
r
er
e
l
e
a
s
e
dr
e
g
ul
a
r
l
yt
os
ha
r
ei
nf
or
maon,
r
e
por
tonpr
og
r
e
s
s
,
a
ndbui
l
daf
oundaonoft
r
us
t
,
t
r
a
ns
pa
r
e
nc
y
,
a
nda
c
c
ount
a
bi
l
i
t
y
.
3.
T
heCommi
s
s
i
on’
sov
er
a
l
l
r
es
pons
i
bi
l
i
t
yt
ode
v
el
opa
ndbui
l
d
Communi
t
yRel
a onst
ha
ti
nc
l
udef
a
mi
l
i
es
,
s
ur
v
i
v
or
sa
nde
x
t
er
na
l
s
t
a
k
ehol
der
sofpl
a
ns
,
i
nt
er
v
i
e
wda
t
es
,
e
t
c
. ACTI
ON REQUI
RED
Obs
er
v
a ons
:
NWACi
spl
e
a
s
e
dt
os
e
et
ha
tCommuni
t
yRe
l
aonsbe
g
i
nswi
t
hf
a
mi
l
i
e
sa
nds
ur
v
i
v
or
s
.
I
ti
sNWAC’
s
unde
r
s
t
a
ndi
ngt
ha
t‘
e
x
t
e
r
na
l
s
t
a
k
e
hol
de
r
s
’
r
e
f
e
r
st
oa
l
l
pl
a
y
e
r
sa
ndc
ommunie
st
ha
ta
c
k
nowl
e
dg
et
ha
tt
he
pur
pos
eoft
heCommi
s
s
i
oni
st
oc
ont
r
i
but
et
opubl
i
ca
wa
r
e
ne
s
soft
her
ootc
a
us
e
sofVi
ol
e
nc
eAg
a
i
ns
t
I
ndi
g
e
nousWome
na
nds
ol
u onst
oe
ndi
ngt
hi
sg
e
nde
r
e
dv
i
ol
e
nc
e
.T
he
s
es
t
a
k
e
hol
de
r
si
nc
l
udeNaona
l
I
ndi
g
e
nousOr
g
a
ni
z
aons(
NI
Os
)
,
Pr
ov
i
nc
i
a
l
a
ndT
e
r
r
i
t
or
i
a
l
or
g
a
ni
z
aons
,
a
nds
e
r
v
i
c
epr
ov
i
de
r
swhoha
v
e
wor
k
e
dwi
t
ha
ndc
on nuet
opr
ov
i
des
uppor
tt
of
a
mi
l
i
e
sa
nds
ur
v
i
v
or
s
.Howe
v
e
r
,
al
a
c
kofe
ffe
cv
ea
nd
offic
i
a
l
c
ommuni
c
aona
swe
l
l
a
st
hei
na
bi
l
i
t
yt
os
e
t me
l
i
ne
sa
ndr
e
por
tonpr
og
r
e
s
sha
swounde
df
a
mi
l
i
e
s
a
nds
ur
v
i
v
or
s
.
T
he
r
ei
sane
e
dt
oe
ng
a
g
el
oc
a
l
c
ommunie
sa
ndt
heCa
na
di
a
npubl
i
ca
st
ot
he
i
rr
ol
ea
nd
a
c
c
ount
a
bi
l
i
t
yi
nhonour
i
ngI
ndi
g
e
nouswome
na
ndc
ont
r
i
bu ngt
ol
ong
e
rt
e
r
ms
uppor
t
sa
ndhe
a
l
i
ng
.
Mov
i
ng
f
or
wa
r
d,
c
ons
i
de
r
a
bl
ee
ffor
t
smus
tbema
det
oe
ns
ur
ea
l
l
e
x
t
e
r
na
l
s
t
a
k
e
hol
de
r
sc
a
nbeme
a
ni
ng
f
ul
l
yi
nv
ol
v
e
d.
Rec
ommenda ons
:
T
heCommi
s
s
i
ons
houl
da
dv
i
s
ef
a
mi
l
i
e
sa
nds
ur
v
i
v
or
s
,
a
swe
l
l
a
ss
t
a
k
e
hol
de
r
ss
uc
ha
st
heNI
Os
,
Pr
ov
i
nc
i
a
l
a
nd
T
e
r
r
i
t
or
i
a
l
or
g
a
ni
z
aons
,
a
nds
e
r
v
i
c
epr
ov
i
de
r
sa
boutt
hena
t
ur
eoft
he
i
ri
nc
l
us
i
oni
nt
heI
nqui
r
ya
nda
nout
l
i
ne
ofwha
ti
se
x
pe
c
t
e
doft
he
ms
ot
ha
ta
l
l
t
hos
et
ha
twi
s
ht
opa
rc
i
pa
t
ema
ydos
o.
4.
T
heCommi
s
s
i
on’
sov
er
a
l
l
r
es
pons
i
bi
l
i
t
yt
ode
v
el
opa
ndbui
l
d
c
a
pa
c
i
t
yt
oens
ur
et
ha
ta
l
l
t
hos
ei
nv
ol
v
eda
r
ec
ompens
a
t
edt
oa
deg
r
eet
ha
tens
ur
est
hei
ra
bi
l
i
t
yt
omea
ni
ng
f
ul
l
yeng
a
g
ei
nt
he
I
nqui
r
ypr
oc
es
s
.
ACTI
ON REQUI
RED
2
Obs
er
v
a ons
:
T
he
r
eha
sbe
e
naf
a
i
l
ur
et
or
e
c
og
ni
z
et
hei
mpor
t
a
nc
ea
ndne
c
e
s
s
i
t
yofbui
l
di
ngt
hec
a
pa
c
i
t
yoff
a
mi
l
i
e
sa
nd
s
ur
v
i
v
or
sa
nda
l
l
e
x
t
e
r
na
l
s
t
a
k
e
hol
de
r
s
,
i
nc
l
udi
ngs
e
r
v
i
c
epr
ov
i
de
r
s
.I
nv
ol
v
e
me
ntoft
heNI
Osi
sc
ur
r
e
nt
l
y
l
i
mi
t
e
dt
obi
mont
hl
yt
e
l
e
c
onf
e
r
e
nc
e
sa
nda
l
t
houg
ht
he
yha
v
ee
x
pe
rs
et
ooffe
ri
nde
a
l
i
ngwi
t
ht
hi
ss
ubj
e
c
t
ma e
r
,
NI
Osdonotha
v
et
her
e
s
our
c
e
st
oc
ommi
tt
ot
hi
spr
oc
e
s
swi
t
houtr
e
mune
r
aon.
Rec
ommenda ons
:
i
ngf
or
wa
r
d,
i
ti
sr
e
c
omme
nde
dt
ha
tf
a
mi
l
i
e
s
,
s
ubj
e
c
tma e
re
x
pe
r
t
sa
ndt
heNI
Osbepr
ov
i
de
dwi
t
h
Mov
huma
na
nd/
orfina
nc
i
a
l
r
e
s
our
c
e
st
opa
rc
i
pa
t
ei
nt
heI
nqui
r
yPr
oc
e
s
s
.
5.
T
heCommi
s
s
i
onha
sa
c
t
edoni
t
sa
ut
hor
i
t
yt
or
ec
ommend
c
onc
r
e
t
ea
const
or
emov
es
y
s
t
emi
cc
a
us
esofv
i
ol
enc
ea
nd
i
nc
r
ea
s
et
hes
a
f
e
t
yofI
ndi
g
enouswomena
ndg
i
r
l
si
nCa
na
da
.
CANNOTASSESS
6.
T
heCommi
s
s
i
onha
sa
c
t
edoni
t
sa
ut
hor
i
t
yt
or
ec
ommendwa
y
s
t
ohonoura
ndc
ommemor
a
t
emi
s
s
i
nga
ndmur
der
edI
ndi
g
enous
womena
ndg
i
r
l
s
.
CANNOTASSESS
7.
T
heCommi
s
s
i
onha
sa
c
t
edoni
t
sa
ut
hor
i
t
yt
opr
ov
i
de
r
ec
ommenda onst
ot
heGov
er
nmentofCa
na
dat
hr
oug
ha
n
i
nt
er
i
mr
epor
tbyNov
ember1,
2017.
CANNOTASSESS
8.
T
heCommi
s
s
i
onha
sa
c
t
edoni
t
sa
ut
hor
i
t
yt
opr
ov
i
de
r
ec
ommenda onsa
ndafina
l
r
epor
tbyNov
ember1,
2018.
CANNOTASSESS
9.
T
heCommi
s
s
i
onha
sa
c
t
edoni
t
sma
nda
t
et
os
e
tupa
ni
nqui
r
y
pr
oc
es
st
ha
t
,
t
ot
hee
x
t
entpos
s
i
bl
e,
i
si
nf
or
ma
l
,
t
r
a
uma
i
nf
or
med,
a
ndr
es
pec ul
oft
hei
ndi
v
i
dua
l
s
,
f
a
mi
l
i
esa
ndc
ommunies
c
onc
er
ned.
ACTI
ON REQUI
RED
Obs
er
v
a ons
:
I
ti
sNWAC’
sunde
r
s
t
a
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5
NWAC’s Report Card on
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Dated: December 2016
Purpose
The purpose of this report card is to present an update and assessment of the progress made by the
National Inquiry Commission to the families of the MMIWG and to the public.
Background
From 2005 to 2010, the Sisters in Spirit initiative of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC)
documented the disappearances and/or murders of 582 Aboriginal women and girls over a span of
twenty years. After five years, the initiative ended and the Government of Canada restricted NWAC’s
funding for this groundbreaking research, forcing NWAC to find alternate resources to continue this
documentation. Awareness raising and community building continued through the projects Evidence
to Action I (2010-2011) and Evidence to Action II (2011-2014) and NWAC's belief was that the scope of
the violence was far greater than the cases it had been able to document through public sources. This
belief was widely supported at that time by other organizations, including Statistics Canada. This reality
was confirmed in 2013 when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) compiled data from over 300
police forces to discover a total of 1,181 murders and/or disappearances of Aboriginal women and girls
between 1980 and 2012, a number that has since estimated to be even higher.1
The human rights violations, disappearances, and murders perpetrated against Indigenous women and
girls has garnered Canada international attention and scorn. During Canada’s Universal Periodic
Review before the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2013, twenty-four countries “raised
questions and made recommendations with respect to deep concerns about staggeringly high rates of
violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada”.2 In 2014, United Nations Special Rapporteur
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples James Anaya released a report recommending that the
Government of Canada undertake “a comprehensive, nationwide inquiry into the issue of missing and
murdered aboriginal women and girls, organized in consultation with Indigenous peoples.3 Since that
time, the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has
presented 38 recommendations addressing this issue.
1
A report released by Statistics Canada in 2011 titled Violent Victimization of Aboriginal Women in the Canadian Provinces, 2009 (accessible here)
outlines findings from the General Social Survey and Statistic’s Canada Homicide Survey, neither of which collect data on disappearances (p. 9).
The report additionally notes that while the Homicide Survey collects information on Indigenous identity “when known”, police report Indigenous
identity as “unknown” roughly half of the time (p. 9). Regardless of these gaps in data, the RCMP’s reports continue to draw on the General Social
Survey.
2
Amnesty International (2014), Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls In Canada: A Summary of Amnesty International’s Concerns and Call
to Action (Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.ca/sites/amnesty/files/iwfa_submission_amnesty_international_february_2014_-_final.pdf), p. 5.
3
United Nations Human Rights Council (2016), The Situation of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. (Retrieved from www.unsr.jamesanaya.org), p. 21.
2
Following a symposium convened by NWAC, the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action,
and the Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, NWAC released a consensus document detailing 22
recommendations about the inquiry process, including its goals, analytical framework, data collection
methodology, and focus of the inquiry.4 Forty Indigenous women leaders, family members of
murdered and disappeared women, academics and allies were joined by six human rights experts from
the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The recommendations
distilled from the presentations and dialogue at the Symposium include that the Inquiry focus on
gendered, sexualized, and racialized violence against Indigenous women and girls; that the Inquiry
provide a systemic examination of the causes and consequences of this violence; that the Inquiry base
its work in Indigenous and feminist analysis that incorporates Indigenous law; and that the Inquiry’s
work is grounded in the specific lived realities and conditions of Indigenous women and girls in Canada.
Launch & Appointment of the Commissioners
The Inquiry was officially launched in December 2015 with three months of pre-inquiry consultations
(18 face-to-face sessions held in every province and territory except Newfoundland & Labrador, New
Brunswick, and PEI. On August 3rd, 2016, Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous and Northern
Affairs, along with Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and
Patty Hajdu, Minister of Status of Women announced the five Commissioners tasked with leading the
Inquiry, including developing the Terms of Reference.
The Commissioners are as follows:
 Chief Commissioner - The Honourable Marion Buller (Mistawasis First Nation, Saskatchewan)
Currently serving as a Provincial Court Judge in British Columbia.
 Commissioner - Michèle Audette (Mani Utenam, Québec)
Audette is the former President of Femmes autochtones du Québec / Québec Native Women’s
Association.
 Commissioner - Qajaq Robinson (Iqaluit, Nunavut)
Robinson is currently Vice-President of Tungasuvvingat Inuit, a non-profit dedicated to
providing cultural programming to Inuit in Ottawa, and is also a lawyer specializing in
Indigenous rights and work with First Nations communities.
 Commissioner - Marilyn Poitras (Métis - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
Poitras is a Harvard Law graduate and current Assistant Professor in the Program of Legal
Studies for Native People at the University of Saskatchewan, and a former Professor at the
Akitsiraq Law School in Nunavut, which she also helped develop.
 Commissioner - Brian Eyolfson (Couchiching First Nation, Ontario)
Currently a Vice Chair with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and acting as Deputy Director
in the Legal Services Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. 5
4
FAFIA and NWAC (2016), The National Inquiry on Murders and Disappearances of Indigenous Women and Girls Recommendations, from The
Symposium on Planning for Change – Towards a National Inquiry and an Effective National Action Plan, January 30-31, 2016 (Retrieved from
https://nwac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/NWAC-FAFIAsymposium_22reccommendations_2016_EN.pdf).
5
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (June 2016). About the commissioners. (Retrieved from https://www.aadncaandc.gc.ca/eng/1470141223313/1470141325236)
3
According to the Government, the makeup of the Commission reflects feedback received during the
pre-inquiry design phase about what backgrounds, characteristics, and experiences would be
necessary to lead this particular Inquiry.6
The Federal Government has committed to providing the Commission with $53.86 million over two
years in order to complete its mandate by December 31st, 2018. This is in addition to the $16.17
million to be provided by the Government over four years for the creation of Family Information
Liaison Units in each province and territory and to increase Victims Services.
Terms of Reference
According to the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered
Indigenous Women and Girls (accessible here), the Commissioners are required to examine and report
on “all underlying causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls including systemic issues and
make concrete recommendations to end the unacceptably high rates of violence, as well as the
authority to examine institutional policies and practices such as policing or child welfare”. 7
Upon release of the ToR in August 2016, NWAC identified four specific areas of concern:
● Trauma-informed and culturally-appropriate counselling will be made available to
families of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and to survivors of
violence, but this counselling appears to be limited to “the duration of their
appearance before the Commission,”8 in direct disregard of the fact that trauma
does not have a finite timeframe.
● Families who contact the Commission for information or assistance regarding
ongoing or past investigations, prosecutions, or inquests will be referred to “the
appropriate provincial or territorial authority that is responsible for the provision of
victim services”.9 For families seeking justice rather than counselling services, this is
a missed opportunity.
● Although the Commission is directed to examine “systemic causes of all forms of
violence—including sexual violence [and] underlying social, economic, cultural,
institutional and historical causes contributing to the ongoing violence and particular
vulnerabilities of Indigenous women and girls in Canada”,10 there is no mention of
6
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (3 August 2016). Government of Canada Names Commissioners for National Inquiry Into Missing and
Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (Retrieved from http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1106779)
7
Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development Canada (INAC) (August 2016). Creating the Terms of Reference (Retrieved from
https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1470141425998/1470141507152), para. 2.
8
INAC (August 2016). Inquiry Terms of Reference. (Retrieved from https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1470422455025/1470422554686), item l.
9
INAC, Inquiry Terms of Reference, item m.
10
INAC, Inquiry Terms of Reference, item a) i.
4
the role of the provinces and territories which regulate services such as policing and
child welfare.11
● There is no explicit mention of the need to work with justice partners ensure that
changes are brought to the ways in which families and survivors of violence are
treated by officials within the justice system, as many have had extremely negative
experiences navigating the system and felt they were treated disrespectfully.12
Evaluation of the Commission’s Progress
This report card is based on the MMIWG Commission’s overall responsibilities with regards to
timelines, communication, external relations, and capacity, as well as the Terms of Reference. Based
on the limited information available to NWAC at this time, we are providing our observations and
recommendations using a scale of pass, action required, fail, and insufficient information. The Native
Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) Board of Directors and Leadership also support this
assessment.
This document is presented in good faith that while the Commission is independent, they will be open
to constructive feedback and recommendations that are strength-based and solution-focused.
NWAC looks forward to providing further report cards in a transparent and public way by providing
quarterly Report Cards on the Inquiry’s progress and activities.
11
Systemic issues is a broad term which can include, but is not limited to: colonialism, the Sixties Scoop, the Indian Act, the overrepresentation of
Indigenous children in the child welfare system, the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the penal justice system, and inadequate access
to education and housing.
12
Not only have we heard this in our own work, but testimony to this effect is documented in the Standing Committee on the Status of Women’s
2011 interim report titled Call into the night: An overview of violence against Aboriginal women (available here); the Special Committee on Violence
Against Indigenous Women’s 2014 report Invisible Women: A Call to Action – A Report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Canada
(available here); and Health Canada’s 2008 report Aboriginal Women and Family Violence (available here).