Government of New Brunswick

September 2, 2014

The Voices of New Brunswick Women Consensus-Building Forum joins with Aboriginal and public leaders and Human Rights Watch in calling for a public inquiry into murdered and missing Aboriginal women in Canada.

According to an RCMP report published in May:

  • There have been 1,186 cases of murdered or missing Aboriginal women and girls in Canada in the past 30 years;
  • Aboriginal women accounted for 4.3% of the country’s population, but 16% of women murdered and 11.3% of women missing.
  • In Saskatchewan, Aboriginal women make up 55% of homicide victims, the highest rate in the country. A total of 153 Aboriginal women were murdered in that province between 1980 and 2012.

These numbers are very troubling. The issues surrounding the safety and security of Aboriginal women and girls are complex and a comprehensive public inquiry is needed to fully understand and resolve those issues. That is why we ask the federal government to act now.

The Voices of New Brunswick Women Consensus-Building Forum is a 15-member body appointed by the Province of New Brunswick to advise the government on women's equality issues and to inform the public.

For further information contact:

Phylomène Zangio or Kim Nash-McKinley, co-chairs (Telephone 506-462-5179).
Édifice Sartain MacDonald Building
P.O. Box /C.P. 6000
Fredericton, NB/N.-B. E3B 5H1

Tel: 506-462-5179

Fax: 506-462-5069