Possible Public Safety Components of the National Action Plan to respond to the Final Report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Background
A process is underway to develop a National Action Plan by summer 2020 in response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) final report entitled, Reclaiming Power and Place, including over 231 Calls for Justice. This is expected to include broad-based engagement and discussion with First Nation, Inuit and Métis organizations and women’s groups to determine priority areas. Interjurisdictional cooperation with provinces and territories will be required to effectively address the findings of the Inquiry.
The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness’s responsibilities fall within a number of Calls for Justice in the final report such as policing, the criminal justice system, human trafficking, community safety and the correctional system. Calls for Justice of particular interest to Public Safety include:
- Replacing the First Nations Policing Program with a new legislative and funding framework; transforming policing from a delegation to an expression of self-determination with equitable and stable funding;
- Creating Indigenous civilian police oversight bodies;
- Creating a national task force to review and, if required, reinvestigate cases;
- Implementing the Indigenous specific provisions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (SC 1992, c. 20); and,
- Addressing distinctions-based Calls for Justice specific to the Inuit, Métis and 2SLGBTQQIA community.
In response to the Inquiry’s interim report, released in November 2017, the RCMP established the National Office of Investigative Standards and Practices, and Public Safety Canada launched a two-year review of policing policies and practices concerning relations between police and the Indigenous Peoples they serve.
Status
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) has been leading the government-wide response to the final report, aimed at establishing an inclusive, distinctions-based (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) process for co-developing a National Action Plan in response to the Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry on MMIWG. A relatively short period of time during which to undertake discussions and co-develop options with multiple partners and stakeholders has been proposed.
The Public Safety portfolio has thoroughly reviewed the final report and its Calls for Justice. An officials-level task force has been established to identify recommendations pertinent to the portfolio and take stock of current activities underway.
Considerations
The implementation of the Calls for Justice will require extensive collaboration amongst various levels of government given provincial/territorial jurisdiction over policing and other elements of the justice system, particularly with respect to Indigenous policing which would require significant reform. Additionally, Indigenous women and girls, communities and Indigenous organizations will expect to be active participants as this process unfolds.
The final report’s call for the creation of a national task force to reinvestigate unresolved files would require provincial and territorial agreement as well as collaboration and partnership with other levels of government, police forces and Indigenous people. [Redacted]
Provinces and territories have signaled a commitment to working collaboratively with the federal government to respond to the final report. To date, only the Northwest Territories has released an initial formal response, entitled “Doing Our Part”. The Government of Quebec has indicated it will not be responding to the National Inquiry prior to the conclusion of the Public Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous Peoples and certain public services in Quebec, the Viens Commission, later this fall.
Next Steps
Public Safety Canada will continue to work with federal partners on the development of a National Action Plan as well as options for responding to the Calls for Justice within its mandate.
Officials will continue to participate in various MMIWG fora, including a Federal/Provincial/ Territorial Working Group, the CIRNAC-led Steering Committee and the Public Safety Portfolio Task Force.
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