More shakeup at inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women

VANCOUVER – The troubled inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls continues to face shakeup.

Chief commissioner Marion Buller announced Saturday that the inquiry's director of research is leaving next month and the commission's lead counsel has also resigned.

The announcement came a day after the inquiry named a new executive director.

Buller announced late Friday that former Assembly of First Nations adviser Debbie Reid has taken the job.

Reid is from the Skownan First Nation in Manitoba.

She was a special adviser to Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine when he held the job and she's also worked for the federal government.

The inquiry has run into troubled waters in recent months with criticism that victims' families weren't being adequately consulted about the shape of the inquiry.

One of the inquiry's commissioners and the previous executive director resigned in the wake of the criticism.

There were subsequent calls for a more profound shakeup with one prominent Manitoba First Nations chief even calling for Buller to leave.

The federal government gave the inquiry a budget of about $53.8 million and set a deadline for its work to be done by the end of next year.