Molly Dixon, right, mother of Angeline Pete, holds up a picture of her missing daughter during a news conference outside the Missing Women Inquiry in Vancouver, B.C. Monday, Oct. 24, 2011.JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press
Nine of Canada's provinces pressed Wednesday for a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women across the country.
The action came after a meeting in Winnipeg of aboriginal affairs ministers from every province and territory except British Columbia.
"We jointly call upon the federal government to call a national inquiry into this matter of missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls," said Manitoba's Aboriginal Affairs Minister Eric Robinson, chairman of the working group of the provincial and territorial aboriginal affairs.
The ministers included three premiers who hold aboriginal affairs portfolios: New Brunswick's David Alward, Northwest Territories' Bob McLeod and Nunavut's Eva Aariak.
British Columbia, where Liberal Premier Christy Clark's party is fighting for re-election, was not represented at the Winnipeg meeting. Robinson said B.C.'s absence did not weaken the stand Wednesday.
The 2012 B.C. Commission of Inquiry into Missing Women was raised by name as a model of best practices in the minister's joint communique yesterday.
The Assembly of First Nations, the Metis National Council, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Native Women's Association of Canada have made repeated calls for such a national public inquiry into the cases of 600 aboriginal women across the country.
"This is really significant move," Robinson said. "Every province and territory is doing something on its own but as aboriginal ministers and leaders of national aboriginal organizations, we've never gone down this road together where we're collective in our voice," Robinson said.
Up to now the provinces have shied away from an inquiry, agreeing only to consider a task force, which has a narrower scope of inquiry, at a meeting last fall in Saskatchewan.
Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Minister David Zimmer said it was hearing personal stories of so many families who'd suffered the loss of relatives compared to non-aboriginal families that made the difference. And the shift was emotional, he said.
"We get into these meetings and people quote statistics and percentages but when you hear a story like that, it drives it home, viscerally for people. And it was that kind of visceral emotion that impelled the provinces to support this issue," Zimmer said.
Michele Audette, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, welcomed the call and described it as shift she didn't expect.
"I even cried. My God, politically there is a major step here. The premiers and the ministers across Canada agree with the national (aboriginal) leaders."
As chairman, Robinson said he will make the call to Ottawa in a formal letter on the minister's behalf.
Parliament agreed to appoint a Special Committee on the matter of missing and murder aboriginal women, but so far the federal government has resisted demands for a national public inquiry.
In Ottawa on Thursday, Justice Department spokeswoman Julie Di Mambro didn't quite shut the door on it.
But she cited government's agreement to the Parliamentary committee and added the Conservatives have a raft of related anti-crime initiatives that encompass the concerns of missing and murdered aboriginal women.
"Our government has taken concrete action to address the tragic issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women," Di Mambro said.
"We have made significant investments to give new tools to law enforcement and to improve the justice system. This includes creating a new National Centre for Missing Persons, improving law enforcement databases and developing community safety plans specifically designed for aboriginal communities."