Fifteen groups that withdrew from the B.C. missing women inquiry out of opposition to the process issued an open letter to the commission today (April 10) indicating they plan to boycott the commission’s policy forums next month.

The letter to Commissioner Wally Oppal describes the inquiry as a “deeply flawed and illegitimate process”.

“The Commission has lost all credibility among Aboriginal, sex work, human rights and women’s organizations that work with and are comprised of the very women most affected by the issues this Inquiry is charged with investigating,” the document reads.

The letter was signed by groups including Amnesty International Canada, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, the First Nations Summit, the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, and the Feb. 14th Women's Memorial March Committee.

“We get one shot at a public inquiry, and the way it’s being conducted right now, it’s turning out to be a sham,” said Marlene George of the women's memorial march committee at a press conference in downtown Vancouver today (April 10).

“We don’t see how anything healthy and meaningful can come out of this inquiry at this time, because it’s so tainted,” charged Lisa Yellowquill.

The groups’ criticisms of the inquiry outlined in the letter include what they call “unnecessarily restricted” terms of reference and inadequate protection of the identities of vulnerable witnesses, a lack of financial support for lawyers of advocacy groups, and the June 30 deadline for the commissioner’s report.

The open letter follows an appeal from Oppal earlier this month for critics to take part in the remaining phase of the inquiry.

"Each group that has withdrawn has an important role here – and by choosing not to participate – you are silencing your own voice in this process," Oppal said on April 2. "Your voices are the heart and soul of our communities, your voices will bring positive change, your voices will help guide us along the path to a better future, a safer future for our most vulnerable citizens.

The commission, which is required to deliver its final report by the end of June, is scheduled to begin policy forums starting May 1.

Instead of participating in the forums, the groups behind the open letter said they will seek “alternative ways” to support the families of the missing women and vulnerable communities.

The majority of groups granted standing at the inquiry withdrew before hearings began in October, following the B.C. government’s decision to fund the legal representation of families of Robert Pickton victims, but not Downtown Eastside advocacy groups.

The inquiry was established by the B.C. government to examine the police investigations of the women that went missing from the area leading up to Robert Pickton’s arrest in 2002. Pickton was convicted of six second-degree murders, and once told an undercover police officer that he had killed 49 women.