Loretta Saunders’ death incites calls for national inquiry

The murder of Saint Mary’s University student Loretta Saunders has renewed calls for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women. Saunders, an Inuk woman who was studying criminology at SMU and planning to write her honours thesis on missing and murdered Indigenous women, went missing on February 13. Indigenous groups across Canada have been urging the federal government to hold an inquiry, but the federal report of the Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women, released last week, did not include a recommendation for a national inquiry. Researchers working on databases that compile cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women state the number is over 800. Many organizations and individuals have expressed their disappointment with the government’s report and have suggested further action to highlight the issue. 2 people have been charged with Saunders’ murder and remain in custody in Halifax. Globe and Mail |AFN (Saunders) | Chiefs of Ontario News Release | APTN (Saunders) | CTV News |AFN (report) | Winnipeg Free Press | APTN (database)