MMIWG: International Women’s Day Newsletter

Today is International Women’s Day. On this day honouring all women, girls and two spirited people, we’re sending you our first newsletter from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

We know it appears to be a slow-moving process. This is an unprecedented undertaking and will take time to do properly. In order to do things well, we need to listen, learn and plan.

Our women and girls are sacred and this National Inquiry commits to finding the truth, honouring the truth, and giving life to the truth. We hope you will walk this difficult path alongside us.

We plan to send one of these newsletters every two weeks to help keep you abreast of the National Inquiry’s progress. Please be in touch with your questions so we can incorporate them in our newsletters.

We have received several questions:

How can we tell our stories?

Because of confidentiality, the National Inquiry did not receive a list of families when it began its work. Our legal team is compiling names and stories as they come in.

We will hear from families and survivors either in public or private hearings, or through statement takers who meet with families and record their stories. We cannot give a precise number at this time, but we aim to accommodate the families and survivors who wish to share.

If you want to be heard, please email us  or contact us by regular mail to P.O. Box 500, Stn. A, Vancouver, BC, V6C 2N3.

Where will the hearings be held?

We will hold hearings where we are welcome. These invitations can come from anyone in a community. We are in the process of obtaining a welcome or invitation to about ten different locations for our first set of hearings. When those discussions are complete, we can release our schedule.

What we have done since the Inquiry began September 1, 2016

1.    Built infrastructure, opened offices, hired staff, set up website and social media accounts. The five commissioners developed their overall approach and strategy for the National Inquiry.

2.    Met with advisory groups made up of Elders, families, survivors and organizations across Canada (ongoing)

3.    Our health team is establishing health supports for families and survivors before, during and after their time with us.

4.    Our research team is reviewing existing research about MMIWG 2SLGBTQ, identifying areas for new research, all through an Indigenous lens.

5.     Our legal team is developing rules of procedure, for standing and for the hearing process.  We want to have a hearing process that is trauma-informed and legally sound.

6.       Our Community Relations team is ensuring we are welcome by Indigenous people and communities to hold hearings in their territories and reaching out to families and survivors.

7.       Our Communications team is setting up a wide variety of communications tools and ways to reach out to families, communities, groups, etc.

In our next newsletter:

What can the Inquiry do? What can’t it do?

How can I participate?

What types of violence will the National Inquiry explore?

Thank you for your interest in the National Inquiry. We look forward to keeping you informed as we move along

NT5