August 19, 2014 – Ottawa, Ontario – Canadian Human Rights Commission
Once again our hearts are filled with grief and sadness as we mourn the brutal and senseless murder of an Aboriginal girl. In a pattern that has tragically become commonplace, the body of Tina Fontaine was pulled from the Red River in Winnipeg last Sunday, after being reported missing earlier this month. Barely 15, Tina was reportedly in the care of Child and Family Services.
Tina must not disappear into the oblivion of statistics: almost 1,200 missing and murdered aboriginal women over the past three decades. We have a duty to ensure she leaves a legacy, and that her legacy is to bring an end to the chronic cycle of violence that rips Aboriginal women and girls from the fabric of family and community at this alarming rate.
This is not acceptable in a country like Canada. It is time for a full public inquiry into the root causes of so many deaths and disappearances of Aboriginal women and girls. It is time for a national action plan to confront this issue.
— David Langtry, Acting Chief Commissioner, Canadian Human Rights Commission
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