Two days of hearings in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls wrapped up yesterday in Thompson.

There were 24 family members and survivors who were registered to testify over the two-day public hearing at Riverlodge Place.

Family members and survivors travelled from near and far to attend the hearings and have their stories told, including one family member who drove from Tadoule Lake.

One common theme coming from the family members is that they say the RCMP isn’t doing their job properly.

Another theme that was brought forward was that young girls living on reserve and in small communities need to be taught that there is a difference when you move to the big city, specifically that you can’t trust everyone.

The sister of a missing woman told her truth, and said that she teaches her daughters that the bad people in the world won’t be wearing black clothes like in the movies, but will be the people you trust, and that Indigenous women have to look out for each other.

She added that the only way to properly deal with the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is to continue talking about their loved ones, and not to wait for the government or the police.

This was the eight hearing by the Inquiry in 2018, and second in Manitoba in the past year.