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- Native Women’s Association of Canada Echoes Family of Chantel Moore’s Call for Public Inquiry to Determine the Circumstances of Her Death
Policy Sectors
June 29, 2020
Ottawa – The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) has written to the family of Chantel Moore, the young Indigenous woman who was shot and killed by police in Edmundston, N.B., to support their call for a public inquiry into her death.
Ms. Moore, who was from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in British Columbia, was killed last month on June 4 during a so-called “wellness check,“ an act that, on its surface, appears to be part of a continuum of violence against the Indigenous people of Canada.
Although Quebec's independent police investigation agency, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, is investigating the shooting and will turn its findings over to the New Brunswick coroner, Ms. Moore’s family has asked for a public inquiry that will have the power to make findings of misconduct.
NWAC agrees that those responsible must be held accountable for her tragic death.
“We agree that a coroner’s inquest is insufficient,” wrote, Lorraine Whitman, president of NWAC in a letter to Ms. Moore’s family. “Factual and substantiated answers are needed to determine why a health check resulted in a tragic death. Indigenous people live with inherent fear and distrust of our justice system. Without further understanding the circumstance that lead to the loss of Chantel, Indigenous women continue to see police as vessels of death and violence rather than ones of peace and security.”
It is not just the province’s police and justice systems that need to be held accountable, according to the national Indigenous women’s organization. Canada as a nation needs to be held accountable.
“We need answers and we need action to ensure history does not repeat itself,” Ms. Whitman added. “As the largest Indigenous women’s organization in Canada, with a 46-year history of advancing public policy and Indigenous women’s issues, we join our voice with that of Ms. Moore’s family to magnify their calls for justice.”
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For information, or to arrange an interview, contact:
Laurel Sallie
laurel@sparkadvocacy.ca
+1 (905) 751-6370
Pour obtenir plus d’information ou prendre des dispositions pour une interview, contacter:
Laurel Sallie
laurel@sparkadvocacy.ca
+1 (905) 751-6370
About The Native Women’s Association of Canada
The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) is a National Indigenous Organization representing the political voice of Indigenous women, girls, transgender, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people in Canada, inclusive of First Nations on and off reserve, status and non-status, disenfranchised, Métis and Inuit. An aggregate of Indigenous women’s organizations from across the country, NWAC was founded on the collective goal to enhance, promote and foster the social, economic, cultural and political well-being of Indigenous women within their respective communities and Canada societies.
À propos de l'Association des femmes autochtones du Canada
L'Association des femmes autochtones du Canada (AFAC) est une organisation autochtone nationale qui représente la voix politique des femmes, des filles, des transgenres, des bispirituels et des personnes de sexe différent au Canada, y compris les membres des Premières nations vivant dans les réserves et hors réserve, les Indiens inscrits et non inscrits, les personnes privées de leurs droits, les Métis et les Inuits. Regroupant des organisations de femmes autochtones de tout le pays, l'AFAC a été fondée dans le but collectif d'améliorer, de promouvoir et de favoriser le bien-être social, économique, culturel et politique des femmes autochtones au sein de leurs communautés respectives et des sociétés canadiennes.
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