Skip to content

Inquiry makes first visit to Yk

Family members, survivors and anyone else who wants to share their story can do so at the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls next week.

From Tuesday to Thursday, members of the inquiry will make their first visit to the city to make initial contact with those connected to the issue and help them prepare for community hearing scheduled for Nov. 13.

Community liaison officer Melissa Carlick said the inquiry will visit other communities in the NWT next year, yet said no specifics can be released at this time.

The national inquiry, established in 2016, has a mandate to examine systemic causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls and make recommendations for their solutions before December 2018.

The nationwide community visits are meant to give family members, survivors, grassroots organizations and elders a chance to give their views on “how to best hear their stories of violence against Indigenous women and girls” during community hearings, stated a news release.

About 200 people took part in the Sisters in Spirit Walk in October 2016 to raise the alarm and remember loved ones who may have gone missing or died violent deaths. Next week, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls will make its first appearance in Yellowknife, a community visit to make initial contact with people who may want to share some of these stories. NNSL file photo

“Blood relatives, adopted family members, foster care relatives, close friends and family of the heart” are all considered family, according to an inquiry news release.

The visit will start at 9 a.m. The location is not made public for safety reasons, yet Carlick said those who wish to share their stories can contact her for details.

Tiar Wilson, communications adviser with the inquiry, stated in an email family and survivors can walk in without registering, yet encouraged them to reach out in advance to the community liaison officers. For people who cannot attend in person, Wilson stated there will be a chance to tell their stories by phone.

Carlick said those coming to the visit can bring anyone they choose to support them during the process. She recommended they have an idea about what they would like to share, including information about the life of the woman or girl they are sharing about and any recommendations they have for the inquiry.

“They can bring pictures,” she said, adding other documentation could be useful. “That's kind of what they need to bring to the hearing is that evidence piece, it's helpful to show who they're sharing about.”

People who attend the community visit can expect to meet with a lawyer and a health-support worker from the inquiry.

“They will get a chance to tell their side of the story and then the lawyer will have a chance to ask questions,” said Carlick. “Then they'll see if they want to participate in the hearing that's happening in November. So this is the first basic step in the process.”

Marie Speakman is organizing three sharing circles on the same week the inquiry will visit Yellowknife. Speakman and Curtis Mandeville from the Department of Justice are available to assist family members of missing and murdered Indigenous women before, during and after the community visit. NNSL file photo

The health-support workers will be present to debrief after individuals have shared their story and connect them to local supports if needed.

The family support liaison unit, a joint program offered by the Department of Justice and Native Women's Association of the NWT, is now running and will remain open throughout the community visit and after. Family members and survivors can come to the Native Women's Association office downtown to seek out information from the RCMP, the coroners office and the courts or to seek other victims services such as counselling.

Marie Speakman, family support worker at the liaison unit, said there will also be three sharing circles open to family members and the public on Aug. 28, 29 and 30 at the Native Women's Association office.

 

 

 

CONTACTS FOR YK COMMUNITY VISIT

National inquiry community visit

Location not disclosed for safety reasons

Aug. 29 to 31, 9 a.m. to evening

Melissa Carlick, Community Liaison Officer: 1 (867) 333-0837, or m.carlick@mmiwg-ffada.ca

Looee Okalik, Community Liaison Officer: 1 (613) 762-9983, or l.okalik@mmiwg-ffada.ca

National Inquiry 1-844-348-4119 or Profile@mmiwg-ffada.ca 

 

Family Support Liaison Unit

Native Women's Association of the NWT

Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays

4902 50 Ave, Yellowknife

447 3050 or 873 5509 ext 224