RCMP Commissioner tells aboriginal women and girls to just not be afraid

Well, not in those exact words, but these: . "The CPC, for goodness sakes, is an independent, arm's-length body that would investigate those things. So I find it very troubling that we're unable to advance on that...We disagree on their assessment that we're Libya or Syria in terms of having people afraid (of) retribution," Paulson said.

Harper, as many of us have come to expect, is equally oblivious to the core of the problem, but far more callous: "If Human Rights Watch, the Liberal party or anyone else is aware of serious allegations involving criminal activity, they should give that information to the appropriate police so that they can investigate it," he told the House of Commons on Wednesday. "Just get on and do it."

Right. These women and girls have learned through terrible experiences that not only can they not count on policing forces to protect them, they also have cause to fear those same organizations who abuse them seemingly without fear of consequences to themselves.

Both Paulson and Harper have no understanding of this well grounded, well justified fear. They fail to grasp how paralyzing it is or what they are asking of victims in these cases. Even if the CPC could be shown to be impartial, there is still the very real fear that as investigations take place and victims’ names are used, the perpetrators – RCMP, in these cases – will get hold of that information and retaliate against the people they have already victimized.

Starlight tours, Highway of Tears...can Paulson and Harper really expect aboriginals to suddenly hand their safety and justice issues over to anything remotely connected to the RCMP or any policing agency?

The dismissive fashion in which abuse of aboriginals has been handled in Canada as well as the vicious hatred some Canadians openly express needs to be addressed before there can be any hope of building trust.