Premiers, aboriginal leaders seized with mitigating violence against women

OTTAWA – Canada’s premiers will sit down Wednesday with key aboriginal leaders in Lunenburg, N.S., to discuss education, health and natural resources.

But the agenda item that is seizing the attention of chiefs across the country is violence against aboriginal women and girls.

Aboriginal groups have long spoken out about the disproportionate number of their women who have gone missing or been murdered.

The issue has taken on significant momentum since the arrest last month of Shawn Cameron Lamb in Winnipeg, accused in the deaths of three aboriginal women.

Ottawa has resisted calls for a national inquiry or task force, but critics say premiers may be more open to taking action.

That’s because provincial governments often pay the price for domestic violence and social problems in aboriginal communities.