Inquiry into Innu children in care proceeding
For years, Innu in Labrador have demanded an inquiry into the treatment of their children in care, and on Thursday that goal got a lot closer to being realized.
Premier Andrew Furey, other government members and Innu leaders were at the Confederation Building in St. John’s to announce the appointment of the commissioners of the inquiry.
“Through this process we will acquire a better understanding of the treatment, experiences and care Innu children have received in the current system and, more importantly, how we improve in the future,” Furey told the assembled crowd.
Furey said the wait for the inquiry was unacceptable, and he has said it is a priority for his government. Calls for an inquiry have been ongoing since at least 2017, with a memorandum of understanding to hold an inquiry signed that year.
Most Innu children in care are sent to another region of the province, or even outside the province, which the Innu say has serious impacts on their language and culture.
Former provincial court judge James Igloliorte had already been appointed to the Inquiry into the Treatment, Experiences and Outcomes of Innu in the Child Protection System, and he is now joined by retired Memorial University social work professor Mike Devine and former Innu Nation grand chief Anastasia Qupee.
Qupee was grand chief when the Innu Nation began to call for this inquiry four years ago, and said she is happy for the people of Natuashish and Sheshatshiu to see this proceed.
“It’s important for the communities to come forward with their stories, the legacies that have been left behind and people are forced to deal with,” she told Saltwire Network. “That continues today, and I think that looking ahead and being involved in the process of the inquiry and making the recommendations of what will work for Innu, what will fit for Innu, is extremely important.”
Qupee said there must be changes to the policies and legislation that exist today, and this inquiry will be an essential part of that. Having an Innu as a commissioner to provide that viewpoint is important, and she did not hesitate when asked, Qupee said.
The inquiry will be an important step toward healing for her people, Qupee said. Loss of language and culture have long been referenced by the Innu as serious concerns when their children are in care.
In their remarks, Innu Nation Grand Chief Etienne Rich and Deputy Grand Chief Mary Ann Nui both referred to the recent discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.
It’s a reminder, Nui said, of the trauma Indigenous people, including the Innu, experienced in residential schools and day schools.
“It is top of our minds that the traumas endured are very much linked to the residential school and child-welfare systems. There are traumas inflicted on children and families by both of these systems and they are also linked by intergenerational traumas. We want to break this cycle.”
Lela Evans, the MHA for Torngat Mountains in northern Labrador, said she is happy to see the inquiry proceeding, and it will give the Innu a chance to be heard.
“It will give the Innu a chance to speak for themselves about the system,” she said. “It will give the Innu a chance to share their stories about things that have harmed them, having their children placed in care without the supports Innu need to have a quality of life and connection to the land.”
Evans said since she became MHA she has heard numerous stories from parents about the impact of the child-protection system, and none of it has been good.
Igloliorte said the timeline for the inquiry hasn’t been released yet, but the commissioners have already met and agreed to the terms of reference. He said he expects the inquiry to last 18 months to two years, and while it will focus on Innu children he wouldn’t be surprised to see other Indigenous governments interested in the inquiry’s work.
According to a news release from the province, $4.2 million has been allocated for the inquiry.