Cautious optimism is response to minister’s plan

If a tip line had been in place when Ernie Crey’s sister went missing in 2000, or if a national centre for coordinated efforts had been established 10 years ago, it may have made a difference.

“I think it would have made a difference, but not all the difference,” said Crey.

Crey was responding to an announcement from Rona Ambrose, the minister responsible for the Status of Women. At the end of October, Ambrose said that the funds earmarked in the federal budget to deal with issues surrounding missing and murdered Aboriginal women will be used to establish a National Police Support Centre for Missing Persons. The centre will provide coordination and specialized support for police investigations.

Also to be established as part of that $10 million package will be a national tip Web site for missing persons.

“The disturbing issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women is one of serious concern and, as Canadians, we know Aboriginal women deserve respect, dignity and the right to feel safe,” said Ambrose in a press release. “Our plan will provide new tools for law enforcement, and improve the justice system and victims’ services.”

In the Speech from the Throne in March, the federal government said the $10 million would be spent over a two-year period.

While some concrete measures have been announced, Crey said he’s holding back his enthusiasm until details as to how the programs will be implemented are revealed.

“There are some features I like, but there are issues that cause me anxiety. I hope it isn’t one-off funding. I hope there will always be a tips line and a national centre and more expeditious ways in assisting the police during an investigation,” said Crey.

In 1990, Crey became vice-president of the United Native Nations, an urban society in Vancouver. The women on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside began approaching him, sharing fears about their safety.

Ten years later those concerns became personal when Crey’s sister, Dawn Crey, 43, went missing. Dawn suffered from mental illness and lived in a hotel in the Downtown Eastside, the only accommodation she could afford on social assistance, and a place where she could access services, including a Methadone drug program, counseling, and a soup kitchen for her meals.

It was determined that Dawn was missing when she failed to show up at the Methadone program. When exactly she went missing, no one knows, said Crey. It was four years later that it was determined that Dawn had fallen prey to a predator.

Dawn’s DNA was confirmed to have been found at the Port Coquitlam pig farm of Robert Pickton. Pickton was charged in the murder of over 20 women, and in 2007 sentenced to life in prison based on his conviction on six counts of second-degree murder.

Crey believes that the government’s commitment to missing and murdered Aboriginal women has to go beyond addressing those who are missing. The systemic issues need to be looked at.

“A lot of our people who move to Vancouver find themselves living in impoverished areas, usually Downtown Eastside. Because of this they become easy victims for Robert Pickton-type characters,” said Crey, a member of the Sto:lo Nation.

Muriel Stanley Venne, president of the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women in Edmonton, shares Crey’s cautious optimism about how the $10 million will be spent.

“It hasn’t been relayed to us how this (announcement) will impact our communities, our organizations. Without the stability and capital to go forward, this will just be another announcement,” said Venne.

Venne is adamant that the government needs to consult with women’s groups to determine the details about the programs.

“It’s absolutely critical that we be consulted every step of the way,” she said. “We’ve been doing it for years now without any money.”

Venne’s and Crey’s concerns have also been voiced by the Native Women’s Association of Canada, which originally praised the government for its commitment of $10 million over two years.

However, in a press release issued on Nov. 9, NWAC’s strategic policy analyst Katharine Irngaut stated, “The announcement was made, and the allocation of the $10M has been made without direct consultation with NWAC. This announcement only addresses some of the short term, immediately visible needs but allows systemic issues to fester.”

NWAC’s Sisters in Spirit program has a database that shows close to 600 Aboriginal women murdered or missing.

Irngaut is calling for a “disproportionate response” from the federal government in relation to the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women. She said NWAC wants more money included in the 2011 federal budget for this issue and “it needs to be solely dedicated to missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls.”