December 17, 2012 - Ottawa, Ontario - Today, the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, together with the Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice, made the following statement on the release of the report from the British Columbia Missing Women Commission of Inquiry.
"There is no question that the deaths of the women at the heart of this Inquiry were a tragedy that caused deep pain for many families, and were felt across many communities. Our thoughts and prayers go out to families and victims.
The Government of Canada was pleased to participate fully in the Commission, in keeping with the Commission's mandate, and also contributed information to support the Commission's wider mandate to provide policy recommendations about how investigations into multiple homicides and missing persons are conducted in British Columbia.
We welcome Commissioner Oppal's report and will take the time necessary to review the recommendations. At the same time, the Government will continue its efforts to tackle the issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women. This includes new tools for law enforcement and improvements to the justice system and victims services. Support is also being provided to victims and their families, Aboriginal communities and organizations to develop awareness programs and community safety plans.
The Government of Canada is committed to ongoing action to keep our streets and communities safe for all Canadians."
Information:
Julie Carmichael
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Public Safety
613-991-2924
Julie Di Mambro
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-4621
