Bennett mum as chiefs call on Ottawa to replace Buller at helm of MMIW inquiry
OTTAWA — Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett is keeping mum on a call by First Nations chiefs for the ouster of the head of the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
A special gathering of chiefs hosted by the Assembly of First Nations approved a resolution calling for the federal government to reset the inquiry by replacing the chief commissioner, Marion Buller.
It also suggested a new head should be named through a process of full engagement with Indigenous survivors and families.
It is now up to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to act, said Sheila North Wilson, the grand chief of an organization representing First Nations in northern Manitoba who has been a vocal advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women for years.