Former British Columbia attorney general Wally Oppal has been named to head the public inquiry into the mass murders of pig farmer Robert Pickton.

B.C. Attorney General Mike de Jong made the announcement in Vancouver Tuesday morning.

"The most difficult question of all is why a serial murderer was able to prey on his victims for so long while so many women went missing and ultimately were murdered," de Jong said.

Seventy-year-old Oppal was the provincial attorney general from 2005 to 2009. He lost a provincial general election to an independent candidate in the May 2009 election. Oppal has also served as a B.C. Supreme Court and B.C. Court of Appeal judge.

The inquiry was announced by the B.C. government earlier this month after Pickton lost his appeal of six murder convictions. The Crown also stayed another 20 charges.

The inquiry will delve into how dozens of women disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and how Pickton was able to continue hunting sex trade workers despite a warning a serial killer was on the loose.

De Jong says there are lingering questions about the way the Vancouver police and RCMP handled the case and he hopes something can be learned from the outcome.

"It is my hope that the inquiry will recommend changes to how investigations into missing women and suspected multiple homicides are conducted in the future," he said.

"It will pay particular attention to police investigations involving multiple investigative agencies."

A formal report from the Vancouver police on the Pickton probe revealed a raft of internal problems, including a lack of communication between departments, failed leadership and a bias against sex workers among some staff.

It said after the force first forwarded information to the RCMP in the late 1990s, 13 women disappeared from the Downtown Eastside. Eleven were later linked to Pickton's farm.

Pickton was arrested in 2002, spurring a massive search of his suburban farm where investigators found the remains of 33 women.

Oppal has until Dec. 31, 2011 to submit a final report to de Jong.

Do you agree with the decision to have a public inquiry? What about the decision for Wally Oppal to head it? Have your say here…