IT'S depressing to watch as community groups walk away in disgust from the so-called public inquiry into the murder of scores of women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
Robert Pickton's trial, while imperfect, at least succeeded in putting a serial killer behind bars. But the court proceedings provided no comfort to the victims' families, particularly the relatives of the dozens of women whose murders were never prosecuted. Nor could a murder trial address the shocking indifference of the police to the disappearance of so many citizens.
Facing up to these systemic failures was supposed to be the mandate of Wally Oppal's inquiry. But having fatally let down the victims - most of them destitute aboriginal women - the province is now determined to short-change their communities at the inquiry.
Judicial inquiries require lawyers, and lawyers cost money. Oppal recommended 13 groups be given money for lawyers, but the province disgracefully refused to pay for anyone beyond the immediate relatives of Pickton's victims.
Government should be miserly with our tax dollars. But some things are more important than money, and justice is one of them. A community that has suffered the most gruesome massacre in Canadian history is entitled to a lot of justice, even if the price is steep.
It speaks volumes of this Liberal government's priorities that it can find $6 million of your cash to pay for the lawyers of white-collar criminals David Basi and Bob Virk, but has no money to spare for the victims of B.C.'s most terrible violent crimes.
