REPORT from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa

by/par Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing

Late in 2022, a Winnipeg man was charged with four counts of first-degree murder for the killings of Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, and a fourth unidentified woman who is being referred to as Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, a namegiventoherbylocalElders,andadoptedby localpolice.Theremainsofthreeofthesewomen havenotbeenrecovered.Contois'partialremains werelocatedinWinnipeg'sPrairieGreenlandfill.

In December of 2022, police indicated thattheyhadreasontobelievethattheremainsof two of the victims were in the Prairie Green landfill. Since then, protesters set up a camp outsidethelandfillsite,dubbedCampMorganin honour of Ms. Harris, demanding action from both the Provincial and Federal governments to search the site for the remains of the three women.

About a month ago, the Manitoba government made the decision to not assist in fundingasearchofthePrairieGreenlandfillfor the remains of the women. The Manitoba government has stated that the decision rested purelyonsafetyconcernsforthosewhowouldbe sifting through the materials at the landfill.This decision was based on a feasibility study developedbytheAssemblyofManitobaChiefs. The feasibility study states that a search of the landfill is feasible, but there are considerable risksduetotoxicchemicalsandasbestos.

Recently,asaresultofajudgeapproving a court injunction, police have dismantled the Camp Morgan site. The protestors immediately erectedanewsitenamedCampMarcedesatthe CanadianMuseumforHumanRightstocontinue todrawattentiontotheplightofthevictimsand have stated that they would remain until the searchofthelandfillisdone.

The Manitoba government's assertion thattheywillnotassistduetosafetyconcernshas beenwidelycondemnedbyanumberofgroups, includingtheAssemblyofFirstNations.CUPE, the union representing landfill workers, has stated that there's no reason the search can't be done if proper precautions are taken. Marion Buller, a former judge and the Chief Commissioner of the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), has stated that the Federal government should do more to convince the