The public and the families of B.C.’s missing and murdered women are being kept in the dark about the provincial government’s response to the Oppal Inquiry, a new report says.
Auditor general Carol Bellringer says that, in 2014, the government stopped reporting on its actions in the wake of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry led by former attorney general Wally Oppal.
The commission, which examined the murders and disappearances of 67 women from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, issued its final report, Forsaken, in 2012.
“Because so many families and communities are impacted by these tragedies and their legacy, we feel it’s important that government once again share its progress with stakeholders and the public,” Bellringer writes.
“The [commission’s] recommendations are still relevant, particularly with a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls underway.”
Bellringer said in a conference call with reporters that it’s “critical” that the government release more information given the seriousness of the issues explored by the Oppal Inquiry.
“I don’t know when the ending date [for reporting] is, but two years doesn’t seem enough to us,” Bellringer said.
Robert Pickton was convicted in 2007 for the second-degree murders of six women and received a life sentence with no parole for 25 years. The Crown stayed murder charges against Pickton in the deaths of 20 other women in 2010.
Attorney General Suzanne Anton said Thursday that government will follow the auditor’s advice and issue its first public report in three years next fall. She said future reports might include information from the national inquiry on missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.
Bellringer’s report checked the progress on 21 of Oppal’s 63 recommendations and found the government responded to the intent of eight recommendations, partially responded to four, failed to respond to five and wasn’t far enough along on four others to make a determination.
The auditor said her office was surprised to find the government failed to engage with families and those affected by the murders and disappearances “as much as we would have expected.”
She also noted that the government’s work suffered from the lack of a champion to drive change. Former lieutenant governor Steven Point was hired as the initial champion, but he resigned after less than six months and was never replaced.
“This meant that there was no one to spearhead and manage the implementation process or to engage stakeholders,” she said.
B.C. NDP MLA Jennifer Rice, who represents the North Coast, called it “shameful” that the government stopped issuing public reports and criticized its decision to leave Point’s position vacant.
“So now you’re a bit rudderless and now you have no accountability,” she said. “It’s apparent to me that there’s no real drive to actually do something.”
Anton disputed that, saying she and her cabinet colleagues will be the champions of change.
“We are working in an extremely dedicated way throughout government to improving people’s lives when they’re vulnerable,” she said.
She pointed to the creation of a $4.9-million compensation fund for the 98 children of the murdered and missing women identified in the Oppal report. Each child is eligible for a $50,000 payment, and Bellringer’s report noted that 90 of the 98 children received compensation.
Bellringer also gave the province credit for spending $4 million to improve access to transportation along Highway 16, where other young women have disappeared.
