Canada extends inquiry into slain, missing aboriginal women

Canada's government today granted a six month extension for a national inquiry into the high rate of killings and disappearances of indigenous women and girls in this country.

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett told a news conference the inquiry would now conclude its probe and submit its recommendations to Ottawa on April 30, 2019.

"We want to understand the root causes of this social epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous girls and women," she said.

Based on discussions with survivors and their families, indigenous groups and others, the minister said, "We found support for giving the inquiry more time to submit its final report." In the meantime, she said, Ottawa will act on recommendations in an interim report including bolstering health, housing and education in indigenous communities, reforming child and family services, and earmarking funds for commemorations.

Since its launch in September 2016, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls has been beset by infighting and criticism. Several staff quit, while victims' families protested their lack of full inclusion in the process.

The inquiry, however, has attracted a large number of participants across Canada -- 1,273 witnesses.

The inquiry was the culmination of years of lobbying by native leaders, activists and victims' families seeking to know why more than 1,200 indigenous women were murdered or have gone missing over the past three decades.

Indigenous women represent four percent of Canada's population but 16 percent of homicide victims.

Tasked with digging into the root causes of this violence, and granted powers to summon witnesses and subpoena documents, the panel led by Commissioner Chief Marion Buller was to report its findings and make recommendations later this year.

But Buller said in March that the commission needed "more time to complete the work in some areas of investigation, research and commemoration."