FSIN welcomes MMIW inquiry, but Vice Chief says the pain lingers
FSIN wants province to open books to inquiry
Vice Chief Heather Bear says the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations welcomes the news of the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, but reminded everyone that it doesn't take away the emotional pain.
I went to that spot and I cried.- Carol Wolfe
"Time will tell as we go forward but we need to be optimistic and we need to work together," said Bear.
As the FSIN Vice Chief met with reporters, the woman who sat to her right knows all too well the heart break that comes with the reality of the missing.
Carol Wolfe's daughter was missing for more than five years.
"We tried to find her for so long, we had walks, we looked, and we had meetings," Wolf said in sign language, speaking through an interpreter.
Her daughter's body was found last year in the outskirts of Saskatoon. Karina Wolfe had been murdered.
"I went to that spot and I cried. It tore me up inside," said Carol Wolfe.
It is this sort of heartbreak the MMIW inquiry is trying to prevent.
FSIN wants province to open books to inquiry
On Wednesday, the FSIN asserted that the MMIW commissioners must be properly empowered to make direct and effective recommendations on the specific concerns of the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, including policing and justice system practices.
But Bear said that the responsibility does not end with the federal government.
"We are calling on the provincial government to ensure that it is comprehensive and it covers off every institution."
For the FSIN that means the inquiry should have access to all provincial institutions including police, the child-welfare system, the coroner's office, and both the adult and youth correctional facilities.
It won't be easy work, as evidenced by the pain etched into Wolfe's features.
"I know this needs to happen," Wolfe told reporters. "We need to stop the violence against women and we need to protect our daughters so they are not in pain, just like so many people that are discriminated against, we need to stop the racism."