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US to restore air travel service with Cuba Canada's missing and killed indigenous women 'higher than thought'
(about 4 hours later)
The United States and Cuba have agreed to restore regular air service for the first time in decades, with flights beginning again by next autumn. The Canadian government has confirmed that the number of missing or murdered indigenous women in the country may be higher than the previously cited 1,200.
The two countries have signed an agreement that allows for US air carriers to apply for the flights. Ministers recently spoke to survivors across Canada to begin a government inquiry into the matter.
President Barack Obama announced the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba in 2014. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a key campaign pledge to address this.
Travellers who fall under 12 categories as designated by the US will be permitted to fly between the countries. Canada's minister for the status of women suggested on Tuesday the accurate number of missing and murdered women could be as high as 4,000.
Under the agreement, each country will be able to operate up to 20 daily round-trip flights between the US and Havana, and 10 daily round-trip flights between the US and Cuba's other international airports. Patty Hajdu said the government did not have an accurate figure but she indicated there was research from the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) that said there were about 4,000.
The US and Cuba "will conduct this proceeding in a manner designed to maximise public benefits", said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Fox. The often-cited 1,200 figure came from a 2014 Royal Canadian Mounted Police report on the missing women.
"Today is a historic day in the relationship between Cuba and the US," said Mr Foxx, who signed the deal with Cuban Transportation Minister Adel Yzquierdo Rodriguez in Havana. "It represents a critically important milestone in the US effort to engage with Cuba." "During those discussions, the ministers have heard from participants that they believe the number of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls is higher than 1,200," said Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett.
Mr Yzquierdo Rodriguez called the agreement "an important step". In December 2015, Canadian authorities charged a man in the death of one indigenous girl whose murder caused a national outcry.
Currently all flights between the US and Cuba are arranged by charter, mostly leaving out of Florida. Last year, 160,000 people travelled to Cuba from the US for leisure. Raymond Cormier, 53, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Tina Fontaine, 15, who was found dead in 2014 in Canada's Red River.
Tourism is still technically banned, but the categories for people to travel have grown significantly and are not strictly enforced. A BBC investigation in April revealed that dozens of aboriginal women disappear each year, with many later found dead in the river.
The Obama administration hopes to make progress on establishing normalised relations with Cuba before the president leaves office. Mr Obama hopes to visit Havana by the end of March. Mr Trudeau had promised an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women in an appeal to First Nations chiefs.
Recently the Obama administration also approved the first US factory in Cuba in more than half a century. The public inquiry will be a "top priority" of his newly-elected Liberal government, he said.
In 2015, a US embassy in Havana and a Cuban embassy in Washington DC re-opened, and the US has eased many trade restrictions with Cuba. Mr Trudeau has also promised increased funding for programming and a review of laws on indigenous peoples.
In 2014, the two countries struck a prisoner swap deal that freed American Alan Gross, accused of subversion, in exchange for three Cubans who had been convicted of spying. Special Report: On the trail of the murdered and missing
Mr Gross spent five years in captivity in Cuba. This is an immersive story told through text, images and video, best viewed on an up-to-date browser.
BBC News App users click HERE.
Minister of Justice Jody-Wilson Raybould, Minister of Status of Women Patricia Hajdu and Ms Bennett conducted interviews with nearly 2,000 people to start forming the government inquiry - survivors, families and loved ones of survivors.
The ministers aim for the inquiry to "examine the causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls and leads to recommendations for concrete actions to prevent future violence", said Ms Bennett.
"Regardless of the number, the level of Indigenous women and girls who have gone missing or were murdered is an ongoing national tragedy that our government is committed to addressing immediately."