The parents of Jennifer Catcheway, a Portage teen who went missing on her 18th birthday just over eight years ago, say they have mixed emotions over the launch of the missing and murdered indigenous women inquiry. Bernice and Wilfred Catcheway say watching the initial launch for the two-year inquiry resulted in mixed emotions, a combination of sadness and relief that this was finally going forward. Overall, Wilfred Catcheway says it's about time Canada is seeing this work taking place.

While optimistic for the future, both feel there needs to be a much more targeted focus on policing, and how it relates to the investigation of missing and murdered indigenous women. Wilfred Catcheway cites their feeling of being brushed off by police, as one of the reasons significant change is needed.

"My experience with my daughter missing, Jennifer, right from the start my wife was brushed off. That's a big issue. That's our daughter. To have an attitude of brushing her off because that's not his daughter, that's a problem right there, and racism has to be dealt with within the force."

Bernice Catcheway feels the same. She questions just how effective and thorough the inquiry can be, without looking at police conduct for these types of cases. She also mirrors the sentiments of Long Plain Chief Dennis Meeches, in saying that while legislation and policing are important, there also needs to be a social change. She says increasing education is one way to create a better future for Canada's indigenous population, while also addressing some of the root causes of these types of cases.

Catcheway says she's confident major changes could be coming to the country, once the recommendations are released in early 2019. However, she says for this inquiry to have the most effective impact, the committee working on it needs to ensure the changes are indeed implemented and done so in a timely manner.

"I think we need to follow up on what they're doing, each step, and they need to make it public to the families. Hold them responsible for the families, and for Canada."

The family has spent the last eight years conducting their own searches, after losing confidence in the justice system. Wilfred Catcheway says it's unreasonable that the family has to conduct their own search efforts when police are already being paid to protect and serve the public.

The family also has mixed feelings over the time period the inquiry is set to take place. She notes the pre-inquiry work has been ongoing for well over a year, and with the two-year inquiry set to start in September, recommendations likely won't come forth until 2019. They feel the work should start much sooner, given the fact it could take more than two years to compile all information collected in the pre-inquiry.

Regardless of what comes of the inquiry, the Catcheway say they'll continue their search for their daughter until the day she's found. They also continue to call for information related to their daughter's disappearance, requesting tips be provided to the family through Facebook.