OTTAWA — Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett says the federal government will release by June 2020 its plan to respond to the final report of the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Bennett says the government has been taking time to consult with Indigenous communities, leaders and organizations to ensure the action plan is co-developed with First Nations.
She says the Liberals want to have “something in the window” by next summer to show the government is committed to act on the inquiry’s findings and 231 calls to justice that were released this past June.
Bennett is telling a special gathering of Assembly of First Nations chiefs that the plan would be a living document that could involve ongoing work.
She is also dismissing any notion the government is taking too long to act on the inquiry’s findings, pointing to interim actions like helping victims’ families get information about their loved ones.
That program was set to expire by the end of March, but Justice Minister David Lametti says funding for the family information liaison units will be extended for another three years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2019.
The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
