Letter to Aboriginal Affairs Minister Calling for Re-establishment of Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women

August 22, 2013

TORONTO– Liberal Aboriginal Affairs critic Carolyn Bennett sent the following letter today to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Bernard Valcourt, calling on the government to reconstitute the Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women:

The Honourable Bernard Valcourt
Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
North Tower
10 Wellington Street
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0H4

Dear Minister:

As you know, the House of Commons unanimously passed the following Liberal Opposition Day motion on February 14, 2013:

That the House recognize that a disproportionate number of Indigenous women and girls have suffered violence, gone missing, or been murdered over the past three decades; and that the government has a responsibility to provide justice for the victims, healing for the families, and to work with partners to put an end to the violence; and that a special committee be appointed, with the mandate to conduct hearings on the critical matter of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada, and to propose solutions to address the root causes of violence against Indigenous women across the country; that the committee consist of twelve members which shall include seven members from the government party, four members from the Official Opposition and one member from the Liberal Party, provided that the Chair is from the government party; that in addition to the Chair, there be one Vice-Chair from each of the opposition parties; that the committee have all of the powers of a Standing Committee as provided in the Standing Orders, as well as the power to travel, accompanied by the necessary staff, inside and outside of Canada, subject to the usual authorization from the House; that the members to serve on the said committee be appointed by the Whip of each party depositing with the Clerk of the House a list of his or her party’s members of the committee no later than March 28, 2013; that the quorum of the special committee be seven members for any proceedings, provided that at least a member of the opposition and of the government party be present; that membership substitutions be permitted to be made from time to time, if required, in the manner provided for in Standing Order 114(2); and that the committee report its recommendations to the House no later than February 14, 2014.

The Prime Minister announced this week that he will prorogue Parliament, and bring it back in October. As you know, one of the consequences of prorogation is that committees, including special committees, cease to exist and all orders of reference lapse. I am therefore writing you to urge that one of the government’s first orders of business when the House of Commons returns be to reconstitute the Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women exactly as it exists today with the same mandate, same number of members, same powers and same quorum rules.

Furthermore, I urge you to extend the deadline for reporting of recommendations back to the House of Commons proportional to the number of study days lost as a result of prorogation.

The issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls is a national tragedy for Canada. This committee is crucial to addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women across the country. I have no doubt that a motion to reconstitute the committee would receive the support of the entire House of Commons.

I look forward to your reply.

Regards,

Honourable Carolyn Bennett, P.C., M.P.
Liberal Aboriginal Affairs critic