New resignations in the team of inquiry on missing aboriginal women

QMI agency

Sunday, October 8, 2017 10:10

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Sunday, October 8, 2017 10:10

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OTTAWA | The problems continue to accumulate for the national Survey on women and girls missing and murdered aboriginal (ENFFADA), where two other people have chosen to resign in the wake of the coming to office of a new director.

In a statement released late on Saturday, the chief commissioner Marion Buller stated that the director of research, Aimée Craft had decided to leave the ENFFADA to resume his position at the faculty of law of the University of Ottawa in date of November 1st.

In addition, the main advocate of the team, Susan Vella, has also left the ENFFADA, for a reason that has not been clarified. Me Vella had joined the team last January.

The chief commissioner thanked the two women for their contribution to the survey and assured that their respective teams will continue their work until they are replaced.

These two announcements occurring the day after the appointment of Debbie Reid to the post of director-general of the ENFFADA. Ms Reid replaces Michèle Moreau, who had resigned in July “for personal reasons”.

In total, there are now seven employees who have resigned from the ENFFADA since the beginning of the year, in addition to the commissioner of the Saskatchewan Marilyn Poitras. The latter left his post in September, explaining in a letter addressed to the prime minister Justin Trudeau that it was “not able to accomplish [their] task in this structure”.

However, Mrs. Buller is reassuring. “The commissioners and staff remain committed to fulfil all the duties of [their] mandate, and even more. We are bound by the testimony of family members and survivors who have shared their story,” she said.

Established by the Trudeau government, the commission must determine why so many aboriginal women are murdered or are missing in Canada.