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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Premiers discuss missing women
Selinger calls for national task force
Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESS Greg Selinger tours Lunenburg, N.S., after meeting with aboriginal leaders. (CP)
Premier Greg Selinger pushed for a national task force on murdered and missing aboriginal women Wednesday while announcing Manitoba would host a national summit on the issue this fall.
Selinger made his pitch to fellow premiers and territorial leaders on the first day of their three-day conference in Lunenburg, N.S. Aboriginal leaders from across Canada also attended the meeting.
Selinger said more than 600 aboriginal women and girls have been identified as missing across Canada. "It's an issue of national importance," he said following Wednesday's session.
There was support among the premiers to press Ottawa for an inquiry -- although some felt a national effort should not proceed until the Pickton inquiry in British Columbia had wrapped up or, at the very least, seen witness testimony completed. The premiers agreed to discuss the issue further this fall.
Meanwhile, Manitoba announced it would host the third National Aboriginal Women's Summit Nov. 1-2 in Winnipeg. The conference will focus on ending the violence against aboriginal women and girls.
The summit is expected to draw key decision-makers from the federal, provincial and territorial governments and the participation of a number of aboriginal organizations.
Two earlier summits were held in Newfoundland in 2007 and the Northwest Territories in 2008. They resulted in numerous recommendations aimed at improving social and economic conditions for aboriginal women and their families.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs welcomed the summit, but blasted Selinger for refusing to call a provincial inquiry into the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women.
Acting AMC grand chief Michael G. Constant accused the premier of "trying to shuffle off" his responsibilities onto the federal government.
He said Manitoba has the highest proportion of murdered and missing aboriginal women in the country.
"It's not right for the premier to play politics with our people's lives and the families of these murdered and missing women," he said in an interview.
Aboriginal leaders have called for inquiries at both the national and provincial levels.
David Chartrand, president of the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), said while the premiers were not united on pressing for a national inquiry at this time, he was heartened by how supportive they were on the need to address the issue of violence against aboriginal women.
Chartrand, who attended Wednesday's meeting in Nova Scotia, met briefly with Selinger. The two agreed to get together later this summer to try to resolve their differences over the repair and refurbishment of Métis housing. The MMF was outraged when the province recently terminated its agreement with the federation on the management of 640 public-housing units in rural, northern and remote communities.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 26, 2012 A6
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