NUNAVUT
Five commissioners were appointed to lead the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls last week, but not everyone is happy about who was named.

"This is the first step in a larger process," said Native Women's Association of Canada president Dawn Lavell-Harvard, left, at a press conference on Aug. 3 where she was joined by Assembly of First Nations national chief Perry Bellegarde. - photo courtesy of the Native Women's Association of Canada

Qajaq Robinson, a lawyer from Iglulik, was selected to be a commissioner.

She might be from Nunavut, but she's not Inuit - and that has some people concerned.

"In 2016 it is not acceptable that the Inuit women of Canada do not have an Inuk as a commissioner," stated Pauktuutit president Rebecca Kudloo in a news release after the announcement on Aug. 3. Pauktuutit is the national representative organization of Inuit women in Canada and is based in Ottawa.

Not everyone agrees with Kudloo's criticism, however.

"I think that she's more than capable of filling the role of commissioner. She is very familiar with our culture, our values, our way of life ... and as such she will bring all her legal knowledge and experience ... for the benefit of not just Northerners but for all Canadians," said Madeleine Redfern. In addition to being the current mayor of Iqaluit, Redfern served as the executive director of the Qikiqtani Truth Commission. She shared her experience with the truth commission during the pre-inquiry and says Robinson is more than up for the task.

"It was very emotionally, psychologically and physically draining to hear first hand the effects of having lost a loved one under those circumstances. At least I know that Qajaq is fully aware of the daunting task ahead," Redfern said.

Born in Iqaluit and raised in Iglulik, Robinson currently is an associate with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in Ottawa, where she works on Team North, a collection of 70 lawyers who do work for First Nation communities, as well as serving as the vice-president of Tungasuvvingat Inuit, providing cultural and wellness programs to Inuit in Ottawa.

The Nunavut Department of Justice wasn't able at press time to provide exact numbers on the number of murdered or missing women from Nunavut.

"Any Inuit from Nunavut that are missing would be from other provinces or territories," said Yvonne Niego, the assistant deputy minister of the Nunavut Department of Justice.

The fact that Robinson is fluent in Inuktitut is also a plus, said Redfern, because it means people will be able to testify before the commission in English, French or Inuktitut. "Inuit will have this rare opportunity to be able to share their testimony in their language," said Redfern.

Meanwhile, the Government of Nunavut issued a joint news release Aug. 3 from Monica Ell-Kanayuk, the minister responsible for the Status of Women, and Justice Minister Keith Peterson.

"The appointment of a Northerner to the commission is encouraging. However, this is a deeply sensitive issue, and Inuk representation on the commission would have provided balance to directly reflect the culture and experiences of our communities," the release stated.

"We know that preventing family violence is critical to ensuring the safety of Nunavummiut at home. We will continue to work together to create safe communities that promote respect and healthy relationships. Open dialogue and community-based solutions are key to reducing family violence in our territory," the release stated.

With a budget of $53.86 million, nearly $14 million more than originally expected, the commissioners are expected to start their work in September and produce a final report at the end of 2018.

All provinces and territories have endorsed the inquiry's terms of reference, and the inquiry has stated in its mandate that the commissioners will work closely with regional committees to tailor their approach in each region.

"They don't want to believe that this could happen in Canada,"

This gives Native Women's Association of Canada president Dawn Lavell-Harvard hope the inquiry might lead to changes in the systemic issues that created this crisis.

She said that until the RCMP released a report in 2014, stating that 1,181 indigenous women were killed or went missing across Canada between 1980 and 2012, there was an unwillingness to even admit there was a problem.

"I think people don't believe it because people don't want to believe it. They don't want to believe that this could happen in Canada," Lavell-Harvard said.

She said this is the end result of a longer history of colonial violence that's woven into Canadian society.

"You only need to look at the British North American Act or the Indian Act to see how the gendered belief of the notion that women were property and that men were superior was essentially written right into much of that early legislation. There's a long history of oppression and exploitation not only of women but of indigenous peoples, so indigenous women end up in the most vulnerable situation," she said.

"We really need to look at how so many of our institutional structures and so many aspects of our society are based on colonial ideologies. That's why this inquiry is important because it's really going to unearth the lack of safety for a lot of people who are in marginalized, vulnerable situations."

This is especially crucial in the smaller, isolated communities of Nunavut.

"Domestic violence is very pronounced in Nunavut. In our smaller communities we have unique circumstances that individuals deal with. A small community means you're related to one half and you're married into another half," said Niego.

But Lavell-Harvard says the systemic problems cannot be left to the indigenous community alone.

"I think this is the first step in a larger process. It will help Canadian society to see how indigenous peoples are in the position they're in not because they're stupid, drunk, lazy, whatever is on that list of stereotypes, but because they have been oppressed and exploited for generations now," she said. "We can't sit around waiting for the outcome of the inquiry. Even one day where another girl goes missing is one day too long. We need to start taking action."

This is a history, however, that Kudloo thinks requires an Inuit perspective to understand.

"This is not about individuals and this is not in any way personal," she stated in a news release.

"For this inquiry to be of maximum benefit for Inuit it must be led by indigenous women, including us as Inuit women."

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