Nova Scotia parties unite in call for inquiry into slain aboriginal women

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s three main party leaders are calling on the federal government to launch a national public inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women.

In a joint statement, Liberal Premier Stephen McNeil says the death of Loretta Saunders is a tragic reminder of a serious issue.

Saunders, a 26-year-old Inuit woman from Labrador, was studying at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax when she disappeared last month.

Her remains were found by the side of a New Brunswick highway two weeks later and two people face first-degree murder charges in her death.

A special parliamentary committee has been studying the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women, but Nova Scotia Tory Opposition Leader Jamie Baillie says the time has come for a full-fledged national inquiry.

NDP Leader Maureen MacDonald says Saunders’s death highlights what she calls a troubling pattern of violence that needs to be addressed by all levels of government.