The federal Status of Women Minister hopes to emerge from Canada’s first national round table on murdered and missing aboriginal women with plans for anti-violence initiatives directed at aboriginal men, saying she has a “good sense” of the people who are committing the crimes.
The Conservative government is using its assertion that the disproportionate number of deaths and disappearances is largely related to domestic violence to bolster its arguments against a national inquiry into the tragedies.
“We have a good sense of the individuals who are perpetuating these crimes and I think that’s something that’s very, very important for us to take into account, and it allows us also to take action,” Status of Women Minister Kellie Leitch told The Globe and Mail on the eve of Friday’s round table with premiers, native leaders and victims’ families. “I know we have some initiatives that I would like to move forward on, on men and boys’ campaigns. I’m confident that other provinces and other aboriginal organizations have those, too. Let’s do them together.”
Indigenous groups, however, point out that many of the women met their fate in major Canadian cities or on highways – not just reserves – and that some of the worst aggressors, including Vancouver’s Robert Pickton, have been non-aboriginal men. They also argue that the violence has deep social roots in poverty, discrimination and poor education that lead indigenous women into high-risk lifestyles.
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