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All three commissioners for the inquiry into the treatment of Innu families in the child protection system say they have hope for the future, as they move towards the final phases of the four-year project.
The inquiry heard hours of heavy testimony this week, including six investigative reports into the deaths of Innu youths from Natuashish between 2015 and 2021.
While the material is heartbreaking, the commissioners are steadfast in their belief it will lead to a better future for Innu children.
“I think the current children today will understand and hear the stories, and hear the work and see the work that’s being done,” said co-commissioner Anastasia Qupee. “I think with this generation, I see hope.”
The investigative reports highlighted 12 systemic issues that were shared between all six deaths. They included the colonial legacy of intergenerational trauma, an overreliance on out-of-province placements, mental health and clinical care deficiencies, and more.
But the inquiry also heard from a pair of University of Toronto professors who dug deep into child protection data in Newfoundland and Labrador. The resulting report showed the rate of Innu children being removed from their homes dropped by 82 per cent from 2018 to 2025.
Innu children are still overrepresented in the system, but the report showed a “system in transition.”
Co-commissioner Mike Devine said one of the biggest improvements to date has been in prevention services, which were sorely lacking at the time each of the six youths were in care.
The investigative reports found the provincial government often reacted only during times of crisis, removing children from their homes as a primary response to a child welfare complaint, rather than working with the families to keep the child safe at home before it got to the point where a removal was necessary.
The future is Innu-led
The federal government passed Bill C-92 in 2019, which affirmed the rights of Indigenous communities to have jurisdiction over child protection.
Work is underway to overhaul the child protection system in Labrador, though a truly Innu-led system remains a long way away.
After a week of reflecting on six families’ experiences with the child protection system, commissioners spoke to CBC’s Ryan Cooke and reflected on how public inquiry has gone so far.
“I think the Innu have no delusions this is going to happen overnight,” said co-commissioner James Igloliorte.
“They’ve been working at evaluating their own community and evaluating their own strengths and where the resilience is, and demonstrating to us that they can have that control. They realize and know it’s going to be a fairly lengthy process yet, even after the inquiry is done.”
Devine recalled a moment during the hearing into the death of 22-year-old Faith Rich, where he looked into the crowd and realized her grandmother, mother and daughter were all there — all affected by the trauma incurred by the forced resettlement of the Innu in the 1960s.
However the system looks in the future, Devine said it has to be built around addressing that shared trauma.
It’s a tall task, but one he expects the Innu can handle better by taking the lead.
“I think there’s great hope,” Devine said.
The commissioners’ final report and recommendations are due in October.
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