Hold an inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women: actor Tom Jackson

OTTAWA – A noted Canadian entertainer is adding his voice to calls for an inquest into missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls.

Metis actor and singer Tom Jackson, who starred in the television shows North of 60 and Shining Time Station, says the federal government “absolutely” must hold a national inquiry.

The governing Conservatives have so far resisted calls for an inquiry, saying the issue has been studied enough and now is the time for action.

Calls for an inquiry intensified recently after RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson revealed that close to 1,200 aboriginal women have been murdered or gone missing in Canada in the last 30 years.

Of that, Paulson says, there are 1,026 murder cases and 160 missing-persons cases.

That’s hundreds more cases than previously thought.