By Kenneth Jackson
APTN National News
One of the Liberal senators behind a Senate inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women has one question for Sen. Patrick Brazeau who said the inquiry would end up as a report no one will read.
“Doesn’t he have the guts to sink his teeth into our inquiry and convince his Conservative colleagues about the pressing need for a national action plan and a national inquiry on missing and murdered aboriginal women?” said Sen. Lillian Eva Dyck in an email.
The Saskatchewan senator from Gordon First Nation took offence to comments Brazeau made during an interview with APTN National News where he questioned if the Senate was the best place to hold an inquiry into the crisis.
“It’s a good thing, but having said that, however I’m not sure at this point if an inquiry in the Senate is the vehicle to get the message out there because there is some level of cynicism in the Senate,” Brazeau said, adding the inquiry wouldn’t hold much weight.
Brazeau said he wants to see a national inquiry or a task force tackle the issue, which is something he has been calling for.
“I’m hopeful in the future, be it a national inquiry or a taskforce, I think something will be done,” he said.
Dyck said she normally wouldn’t comment publicly but felt it was necessary this time.
“Normally I like to keep a low profile but this issue is so close to my heart that I can’t let other people mock it,” she said.
The Liberals made the official announcement of the inquiry Wednesday. It was spearheaded by a few senators including First Nation Sen. Sandra Lovelace Nicholas from the Tobique First Nation.
Lovelace Nicholas said she hoped the Senate inquiry would convince the government to make some concrete actions to end the tragedy.
Statistics indicate that more than 600 Aboriginal women and girls have gone missing or were murdered in the last decade. Organizations have been calling for an inquiry for years. The Conservative government has refused to do so.
Twitter: afixedaddress
“Statistics indicate that more than 600 Aboriginal women and girls have gone missing or were murdered in the last decade. ”
Where can we get these stats and list of missing? It seems to me there are lots of reports but NO action. There was a taskforce the RCMP was suppose to have taken on when SISTERS in Spirit lost it’s funding?
Does Senator Patrick(BRAZMAN) Brazeau have the guts?…Ummmm………….. NO!!!
I wonder if Brazzeau’s senate enquiry report on off reserve NDNs will be read too. I bet the outcome was decided before the Brazzeau enquiry began. Harper’s pampered little Indian speaks with what the Harper Government wants to hear. Strange he says no one will read the missing women enquiry report. He was never more than a popcorn hang around the fort NDN.
I think that Senator Brazeau lacks both ‘integrity’ and ‘Senator- will’ to do the hard work, he seems to want to please those in power and whom keep him in a Senate seat. This would require being respectful, compassionate, understanding, and allying with women across the country especially women from his own nation. But it has been out there his steady conflicts with women in general: from sexualizing them & harassing them, & insulting female colleagues via Twitter. He is no match for Senator Lovelace and Senator Dyck, these women have a strong backing by grassroots people who have worked endlessly, tirelessly, and are the true advocates on the safety of indigenous women. Over the next few years I would recommend Senator Brazeau find a muzzle and be careful of media and journalists, he has been quite the laughing stock of our indigenous nationhood. – Darlene R. Okemaysim-Sicotte (plains Cree, Saskatchewan, member of Iskwewuk Ewichiwitochik “women walking together” awareness, education and support to the families of the missing)