Jody Wilson-Raybould appointment prompts optimism for national inquiry

People across Canada are hailing the appointment of Jody Wilson-Raybould as theMinister of Justice and Attorney General, hoping it's a positive sign for a promisednational inquiry into missing and murdered women.

"When I saw that [she was appointed], I was just overwhelmed," said Lorelei Williams. "This is a First Nations woman, she's in there!"

The Liberal government promised to conduct a national inquiry "immediately" after coming into power.

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Williams said she has high hopes for Wilson-Raybould, especially because the missing and murdered women inquiry is a subject that touches her personally.

Her aunt Belinda Williams has been missing since 1997, and her cousin TanyaHolykwent missing in 1996; her DNA was later found on the farm of Robert Pickton, the notoriousserial murderer.

For Williams, the Canada-wide inquiry can't begin soon enough.

"Right now, the question iswhen is this going to happen, and how is this going to happen? It needs to be led by our indigenous women," she said.

People across the countryshared her opinion.

Problems 'no great mystery'

The man who led B.C.'s provincial inquiry into missing and murdered women, Wally Oppal, is lukewarm onthe need for anational inquiry.

He said the research and 93 days of public hearings, which eventuallyproduced a 1,400-page report in 2012 with dozens of recommendations, should be enough to move forward.

"It's no great mystery as to what's happening. It's poverty, it's drug addiction, it's homelessness, it's the lack of education," saidOppalon Wednesday.

"Those are the root causes of the violence that takes place and why so many aboriginal women are victims of violence."

Oppalsaid ifthe Liberals do move forward witha national inquiry, he hopes it doesn't cover the same ground.

However, healso said inquiries serve apurposeother than providing recommendations.

"Inquiries are good because theyindicateto those who suffer the most that they're not discarded," he said.

Thatoutcome, he said, was an important one the provincial inquiry was able to achieve.