Latest News

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Death of B.C. teen renews calls from First Nations over public inquiry

By: The Canadian Press

Posted: 12/12/2012 3:35 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 12/12/2012 4:39 PM

VANCOUVER - The parents of an aboriginal girl found murdered last week in Kamloops, B.C., have joined the call for a national inquiry into murdered and missing First Nations women.

Matilda Fowler and Glen Wilson, the mother and father of 16-year-old CJ Fowler, joined Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo and other aboriginal leaders in Vancouver on Wednesday to renew the demand for the government to look into such tragedies.

The girl's parents sobbed during a news conference as they spoke about losing their daughter.

"I'm going to find who did this. I want justice for my daughter and I don't want any more young girls going missing or murdered. Nobody deserves to lose a daughter," Matilda Fowler told the media.

Atleo said the girl's death has triggered an overwhelmingly painful reminder of similar tragedies in other First Nations communities across Canada, and they won't rest until their people have safety and security.

"First Nations have committed to ending violence against and among our peoples, we have called for a national public commission of inquiry on missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and we will not rest until this is achieved," Atleo said in a news release.

Fowler told reporters the family is comforted by the support from their leaders "for continuing to take this message forward and to advocate on behalf of us and other families impacted by such tragedies."

First Nations Summit Chief Ed John said the death of CJ is a terrible tragedy and another horrific example of violence against aboriginal women.

Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stewart Phillip also extended his condolences to the girl's family and her many friends.

"Another family, another community suffers an inconsolable loss," he said.

Phillip said the growing issue of murdered and missing First Nations women across Canada is nothing short of a national disgrace.

The call for an independent inquiry has been made over the last several years. First Nations leaders say they want the inquiry to include a review of police policies and procedures in regard to searches, investigations and communications between police, officials and families.

The renewed demand comes as RCMP in Kamloops reveal that CJ Fowler was last seen early in the morning on Dec. 5, walking down a main street to catch a bus to her Terrace home.

Her body was found by a man walking his dog in an undeveloped area slated for residential use.

In November, provincial and territorial justice and aboriginal affairs ministers gathered in Winnipeg and concluded they were prepared to take action to reduce the number of First Nations women who are victims of violence every year.

However, the ministers didn't commit to lobbying the federal government for an inquiry.

Aboriginal groups estimate as many as 600 aboriginal women have disappeared or been killed over the last two decades.

(The Canadian Press, CKNW, CHNL)

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Latest News

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.