Tom Mulcair says an NDP government would establish a full public inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women within 100 days of taking office.
He says the NDP would begin consulting women and First Nations about parameters for an inquiry on its first day in power.
Mulcair says only a full-blown inquiry can get at the systemic problems reflected in the murder rate among aboriginal women.
He notes that an RCMP report in May said more than 1,200 aboriginal women have been murdered over the last 30 years.
Canadians are united in their belief that it's time for action on the issue, he says.
He says Prime Minister Stephen Harper is wearing blinkers when he refuses to set up such an inquiry.