Indigenous leaders and legislators say the Ontario government hasn't adequately addressed the final report on the national inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls that was released one year ago despite a promise from the premier "to do more." Meanwhile, Premier Doug Ford described the Ontario government's relationship with Indigenous communities as "phenomenal" when asked to respond to these criticisms on Monday.
"I am of the opinion I don’t think they did full justice to addressing it," said Deputy Grand Chief Walter Naveau of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), which represents 49 First Nation communities in northern Ontario. "There’s a lot of work to be done."
The report, released on June 3, 2019, stated that "persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people." The report, which was handed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, labelled this violence as "race-based genocide," which the inquiry's Chief Commissioner Marion Buller called an "inescapable conclusion" based on the evidence commissioners heard and read.
The inquiry included two years of hearings and the collection of information from more than 2,380 survivors of violence, family members and experts. The report made 231 recommendations, or "calls for justice," for governments, Canadians, institutions, industries and social service providers.
One day after the report was released, Premier Ford met with Perry Bellegarde, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, at Queen's Park. In a statement following the meeting, Ford said he was "shocked and saddened to hear of the findings" in the report.
"This ongoing tragedy is a national shame and a clear call to action for every leader in this country to do more, and I reassured the Chief today that we will," Ford said.
But both Naveau and NDP MPP Suze Morrison said they think there's been a lack of progress from both the federal and provincial governments during the past year when it comes to the report's recommendations.
The federal government delayed the release of an action plan that was expected in June due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has yet to provide a new date, according to an <a href="https://ipolitics.ca/2020/06/03/on-anniversary-of-mmiwg-report-trudeau-opts-not-to-share-release-date-of-action-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iPolitics report.</a>
Naveau said there was much "jubilation" last year when the report was released that "finally something is going to be done."
"Now we’re at this present time where okay those words were said, (but) really what has been happening, where’s the traction in terms of, okay, where’s this inquiry leading us and where’s that voice out there that’s advocating from the government for the First Nations Indigenous people, be it in Thunder Bay or the other various cities across Canada?"
Morrison described what she considered "inaction" from both levels of government.
"As far as I’m concerned, the calls to justice have sat on a shelf collecting dust at both levels of government for a year now, which I think is really quite shameful," she said. Morrison, who identifies as Indigenous, pointed to moves from the PC government like cutting the <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5318198/ontario-indigenous-culture-fund/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Indigenous Culture Fund</a> that she said fly in the face of the report.
The report recommended governments "support grassroots and community-led Indigenous language and cultural programs that restore identity, place, and belonging within First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities through permanent, no-barrier funding and resources."
The <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5318198/ontario-indigenous-culture-fund/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PC government cut this funding</a> before the release of the June 2019 report, but Morrison called for the fund to be reinstated.
"This is a government that not only isn’t taking forward action to end violence against Indigenous women and girls and two-spirited folks, but they’re actually making things so much worse and taking resources away from communities that have been long underfunded and under-resourced," she said.
The provincial government has announced an anti-human trafficking strategy with a $307-million investment over five years that includes supports for Indigenous communities.
With anti-Black racism protests sweeping across Canada and the United States in recent weeks, Morrison said all the conversations about anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism are connected.
She said she hopes the government listens to the Black and Indigenous communities "that are calling for real systemic change; the days are gone of allowing a report with hundreds of recommendations to sit on a shelf for a year...I don’t think that communities are willing to wait anymore."
Meanwhile, Naveau noted that the issue of missing and murdered women has a "tremendous impact" on families.
"I think the governments have to come to the table and look at the entirety of it all in terms of where do we really want to go to create true dialogue pertaining to the missing and murdered women so we can accommodate these families," he said, adding that there is room for the province's relationship with NAN to "grow ten-fold."
"There is a lot of political play, but when we start to forget about the grassroots people and it all becomes a political arena scenario, the most important people I think the provincial government forget are the people that are directly impacted by it, so yes there has to be more real down-to-earth talks, 'okay, let’s do something together,'" he said.
Naveau suggested one way to address some of the issues related to the report would be through funding for NAN's women's council so that its members could travel and advocate throughout the province and Canada.
"We need that women’s voice out there, because it’s so important that they're heard, I know we have a political agenda to try to correct and make things right for First Nations people, but it takes money, it takes dollars to move an agenda," he said. "They’re the grassroots people that are bringing their credibility, their voices, their hurts to the table, but also they’re bringing a vision."
Asked about progress on addressing the report's recommendations, Ford said on Monday his government has worked on "understanding communities and relating to their concerns and feeling the pain that they’ve gone through."
He praised chiefs he's met with across the province, including Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald, saying his government has built up "an incredibly strong relationship right across this province."
Ford gave credit to Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford, who he said lived with First Nations communities for several years.
"He was like part of their family, he was in there helping these communities when they needed help most, no one was listening to them," said Ford. "So we’re going to continue working with him and supporting him every which way we can, we have a phenomenal relationship with First Nations and I appreciate their support and the great work that they do on a daily basis."
Rickford's office did not respond to questions about the government's actions on the MMIWG report before publication.
Also in the recommendations was a call for governments to implement various conventions including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) — <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2019/11/27/b-c-beats-ontario-to-become-first-province-to-pass-indigenous-rights-bill/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">British Columbia became the first province to do so last year</a>. The NDP's Sol Mamakwa has a similar bill before the Ontario legislature to ensure provincial laws are aligned with UNDRIP, but after passing second reading in March 2019, the bill has stayed at the Standing Committee on General Government for more than one year.
Asked if he considered implementation of this bill to be a step towards reconciliation and if he would commit to passing such legislation, Premier Ford said "there’s never one step to reconciliation in my opinion, there’s always multiple steps and we have to constantly be doing a better job." He added that he would want to consult with Minister Rickford and promised a response following that.
Naveau said he used to keep the UNDRIP "booklet on my table for many years, thinking one day the rights of Indigenous people will be fully recognized because we are the first people of this land and yet we cannot erode our right."
"I only wish that the government would give it the full recognition which it deserves because it's almost like as if they (allow) us to only go so far both at the federal and the provincial level," he added.
Other organizations pointed out the steps they have taken to address the report's recommendations. The Ontario Human Rights Commission noted on June 3 that it had issued a new definition of racial profiling in September 2019 that includes "under-policing."
"Under-policing refers to the failure to take appropriate action to protect the safety or security of an individual or group of people based on race, colour, ethnic origin, ancestry, religion, place of origin or related stereotypes, rather than proper investigations or preventative actions," wrote OHRC spokesperson Rosemary Parker in an email.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Consistent with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls <a href="https://twitter.com/MMIWG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MMIWG</a> report Calls for Justice, the OHRC included “under-policing” in its new definition of racial profiling. Read our policy: <a href="https://t.co/9tar6akJbZ">https://t.co/9tar6akJbZ</a>
&mdash; The OHRC (@OntHumanRights) <a href="https://twitter.com/OntHumanRights/status/1268278831636516865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Parker said the change wasn't influenced directly by the inquiry, but "by the general reality that under-policing exists and has contributed to the experiences racialized communities have had with police, including Indigenous women and girls going missing and being murdered."
Ontario Provincial Police Staff Sgt. and spokesperson Carolle Dionne said the force takes "all allegations and investigations of crime — including possible homicide and disappearances — very seriously, regardless of gender, heritage or ethnicity. We are mindful of the importance of treating victims of crime and their families with sensitivity and respect."
She said the OPP participated in the inquiry and provided recommendations related to missing persons investigations, community programs and human-trafficking investigations and supports.
"The OPP is committed to continuing to build trust and to develop and improve its relationships with Indigenous communities," she said, adding that the force formed a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) team.
The team reviewed the final report and is "establishing an internal consultation process to address the Calls for Justice which directly relate to policing," Dionne said. "This provides the OPP with a roadmap to identify implementation priorities and timelines."
She pointed to other initiatives like partnering with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service to plan "Missing Person and Human Trafficking Awareness Days" in communities that fall under self-administered First Nation police services. Members of the force are also part of a working group developing a "culturally-sensitive resource guide for families of missing persons."

‘I don’t think they did full justice to addressing it’: Deputy grand chief on Ontario’s response to MMIWG report

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