Missing and murdered indigenous women: 5 things an inquiry should consider

The sister of an Ontario First Nations woman who was killed in 1994 says the Liberals are "rushing" families into consultations on a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women.

Sonya Cywinkfrom Whitefish River First Nation was slain just outside of London, Ont. Her killer has never been found.

Her sister, MagCywink, said she feels the government is moving too quickly with its cross-country tour of pre-inquiry consultations, beginning Wednesday in Thunder Bay, Ont.

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"We've been dealing with this for 30-plus years, like, what's the hurry?" Cywink said."I don't think they're very organized. I think they're rushing through things that for us are sensitive matters. It doesn't make a lot of sense to do that."

Cywink said she's worried family members who have not yet processed their grief will find themselves exposed in front of government ministers.

"They shouldn't be forcing us into a position where,unprepared, we have to perform. I don't want to perform when I go to these things," she said.

Minister of Status of Women Patty Hajdu said she is aware of the concerns being raised by family members and is working towardsolving them.

"There's a saying that I used in my grassroots work:Not about us without us," Hajdu said."From my perspective, that's something we can work on as a government."

CBC News spoke to several experts and compiled a list of five elements a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls should consider:

1. Independence from government

"While I'm delighted that ministers of the government are so engaged and supportive of the inquiry and the process, I am a little concerned that they would be so engaged in the pre-inquiry consultation," said Kim Stanton, thelegal director of the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund, who wrote her doctoral dissertation ontruth commissions and public inquiries.

"There will be many people in the indigenous community in particular who will see the Canadian government as complicit inthe root causes of this tragedy [of missing and murdered indigenous women], so it's just deeply important that this inquiry be seen to be, and to actually be, an independent inquiry," she said.

2. Expert inquiry staff

The leadership of the inquiry, in terms of itscommissioners and staff, will be key to its success, Stanton said.

"We are looking for people who are independent, have integrity that is just unimpeachable, who are courageous, who are strong personally, because this is going to be a very difficult inquiry to conduct emotionally and otherwise," she said.

3. Direct consultation with First Nations

There are plans to consult with indigenous organizations such as the Assembly of First Nations and the Native Women's Association of Canada, but Judith Sayers, a professor inthe University of Victoria's law department, believes First Nations chiefs and councils should also have a say.

"Part of what I think the inquiry is asking is why are so many women going missing or getting murdered, and some of those root causes start in the First Nation community on the reserve," said Judith Sayers. "There's not enough housing, there's no daycare and so some of those issues need to come from the chief and council and the communities themselves."

4. Immediate action

Sayerssaid people are hungry for action on safety concerns of indigenous women and girls and an inquiry shouldn't stand in the way of immediate change.

"As they're going through the inquiry, the commissioners should be able to make recommendations for immediate action," Sayers said. "Instead of making a report withall these recommendations that come out at the end, hopefully that will be one of the things that can happen throughout the inquiry.

5. Police accountability

Many family members have specific questions for police, saidAudrey Huntley, co-founder of the grassroots advocacy groupNo More Silence, but she worries thatanswers won't be delivered through the inquiry.

"Thedemand is for those [police] files to be made transparent, to have police at the table toshare what they have or have not done on their loved ones' disappearance or murder, and I don't see that happening," Huntley said.