The National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls continues to make headway despite the recent wave of resignations within the organization, said one of the commissioners, Michèle Audette, at a press conference on Thursday.
Audette was in Quebec City to announce the commission’s next steps. Preparatory meetings will be held this summer in nine Canadian cities to lay the groundwork for the hearings, which will begin on September 10, 2017.
The inquiry will visit Thunder Bay, Ontario, Smithers, British Columbia, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Edmonton, Alberta, Yellowknife, Maliotenam, Quebec, and Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.
Audette has repeatedly stated that Aboriginal people can testify with confidence. But in order to make it easier, she said that she retained 'advice' from families, survivors and community organizations.
Among other things, the inquiry is committed to respecting the 'protocols' that exist among First Nations, to respect their traditional approaches, listen to stories that can be told through works of art, and let people express themselves in the language of their choice.
Viviane Michel, president of Quebec Native Women recently expressed concern about the five resignations within the inquiry. "Is the team healthy?" she asked, adding that 'structural problems' were preventing a transparent view of where the inquiry was headed.
