Missing Women Commission of Inquiry

The Missing Women Commission of Inquiry was a provincial public inquiry held in British Columbia, Canada. It was established on 27 September 2010 by the Lieutenant Governor in Council to examine the systemic failures of police and government institutions in responding to reports of missing and murdered women, many of whom were from Vancouver’s marginalized Downtown Eastside.

The Inquiry was initiated in the aftermath of the arrest and conviction of serial killer Robert Pickton, who murdered multiple women between the 1990s and early 2000s. Its final report, titled Forsaken, was released in December 2012 and contained 63 recommendations aimed at improving policing, community support, and institutional responses.

While the Inquiry shed light on the vulnerability of Indigenous and marginalized women, it was widely criticized for its structure, limited participation of affected families, and the lack of government follow-up. Further controversy arose from the high legal fees paid to certain lawyers, while families of the victims received inadequate funding to fully participate.