Presentation for the 5th International Conference for Missing Children and Adults titled Missing Persons - Call For Action

1. Missing Persons - Call For Action
5th International Conference for Missing
Children and Adults
By: Maureen Trask
Advocate for Families
and the Missing
Puslinch, Ontario, Canada
On: Mon. July 5, 2021
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2. 2
Daniel Robert Trask
Missing Nov. 3, 2011 Found May 24, 2015

3. Call for Action: Questions to Ponder
 What can we do for the missing?
 What can we do for families, those left behind?
 What can we do to reduce and/or prevent the
issue of missing persons?
Plus:
 What research is lacking and needed?
 How can we engage community?
Missing Persons From The Families Perspective (missingpersonsresearchhub.com)
by Maureen Trask, Apr. 7, 2021 3

4. Missing Persons Landscape
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5. National Centre for Missing Persons
and Unidentified Remains (NCMPUR)
Provides law enforcement, medical examiners and chief coroners with
specialized investigative services including:
 national data sharing,
 sophisticated analytical support,
 liaison and coordination, and
 development of investigation best practices.
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Resides within the RCMP's Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (CPCMEC).
National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains (NCMPUR) | Royal Canadian Mounted Police (rcmp-grc.gc.ca)
Slideshow: National Centre for Missing Persons & Unidentified Remains - ppt download (slideplayer.com)
In addition, the NCMPUR also:
 Coordinates the Nat. Amber Alert working group for Canadian police agencies.
 Researches and compiles investigative best practices.
 Develops training for police officers.
 Authorizes the submission of DNA to the National Databank for missing persons
investigations.

6. Statistics - Patterns in the Data
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Canada's Missing / Disparus-Canada (canadasmissing.ca) click Publications, Fact Sheets
CANADA STATISTICS
Year
#
Adult
#
Child
Canada
Total
%
Adult
%
Child
2015 26,080 45,288 71,368 37% 63%
2016 27,789 45,609 73,398 38% 62%
2017 30,632 47,168 77,800 39% 61%
2018 31,387 42,233 73,620 43% 57%
2019 32,752 40,425 73,177 45% 55%
2020 29,645 31,948 61,593 48% 52%
6 Yr Avg. 29,714 42,112 71,826 41% 59%

7. What is Ambiguous Loss?
Dr. Pauline Boss, principal theorist of the concept of Ambiguous
Loss and Dr. Gloria Horsley, founder and president of Open to Hope
Fdn, discuss Ambiguous Loss at the annual Association of Death
Education and Counseling (ADEC) Conference, 2011.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2vYyefAgZ0
Resources | Ambiguous Loss 7

8. Call for Action - Legislation
A “Missing Persons Act”
is still needed in:
Quebec,
New Brunswick,
PEI,
NWT and
Nunavut.
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July 2019, Ontario Gov. Provides Police More Tools to Find Missing Persons Newsroom

9. Call for Action – Family Voices
Missing Persons - Recommendations Report
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Key Finding:
Canada needs a
National Missing Persons
Framework to ensure
 Consistency
 Transparency
 Accountability
 Fairness and
 Equality.
Report: Missing Persons - Recommendations | Maureen Trask - Academia.edu Jan. 20, 2020

10. 10
National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

11. Call for Action: Possibilities
 National Missing Persons Framework
 National Missing Persons Day (Week or Month) in Canada
 Missing Person Status for Guardianship or
Proof of Death (earlier than 7 years)
 No Body, No Parole Legislation (Bill C-437)
 Compensation for families (those left behind)
 Support/Bill of Rights/Ombudsperson for families
and those missing or returned.
 Tools, guides and kits to help family members and also
for those missing or returned.
 Strategies/Education to prevent/reduce missing.
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12. From me to each of you:
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Maureen Trask trasker@rogers.com