CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — On National Indigenous People’s Day Premier Dennis King said he plans to personally oversee the implementation of both the recommendations from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
King also pledged to introduce an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission next week.
During question period Friday, King was asked by Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker to provide an update on the progress of P.E.I.’s progress on the implementation of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission calls to action. In response, King said he would be tabling a report on progress on TRC recommendations as early as Tuesday.
Bevan-Baker also asked another question about the implementation of recommendations from the inquiry. The official recommendations were received by hand by Deputy Premier Darlene Compton during a ceremony held in Ottawa earlier this month.
On Friday, King said he would personally spearhead the implementation of the 231 recommendations from the inquiry.
“As the minister responsible for Indigenous affairs, the office, through the Executive Council Office, would be the spearhead of this,” King said.
“So it would be the intention of my department through executive council, through the responsibilities of the Indigenous affairs responsibilities that I have as premier, to begin to shepherd this process.”
Bevan-Baker said implementation of the recommendations would involve many government departments. He asked if King would consider assigning responsibility for the implementation of the recommendations to a single department to co-ordinate.
King replied that he would.
“I think that is an absolutely wonderful suggestion. I think that is something that we should actually be very, very interested to commit to and I think it’s a good idea. I would commit to the House that we would do that,” King said.
The inquiry involved the participation of 2,380 people. It found that the legacy of systemic historic human rights abuses against Indigenous people was a direct cause of high rates of violence experienced by women, girls and 2SLBGTQQIA people. The report also argued that the systemic nature of violence experienced by Indigenous women and girls met the legal definition of genocide.
“Indigenous people have grown up normalized to violence, while Canadian society shows an appalling apathy to addressing the issue. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered
Indigenous Women and Girls finds that this amounts to genocide,” the report stated.
The recommendations from the MMIW report include the elimination of jurisdictional gaps for Indigenous girls, women and 2SLBGTQQIA people, the recognition of Indigenous languages as official languages with the same status as English and French and the provision of funding for Indigenous-centred health services.
The report also calls for all police services in Canada to establish Indigenous policing units within their services, staffed with “experienced and well-trained Indigenous investigators.”
The full report, along with a summary of all the recommendations, can be found at mmiwg-ffada.ca.
