Missing Indigenous children - The Québec government is supporting requests from Indigenous families for the disinterment of their children

QUÉBEC CITY, June 16, 2023 /CNW/ - In response to the needs of two families that have expressed the desire to have disinterred the bodies of their children to give them a dignified burial, the Québec government announced today that it has obtained the orders from the Superior Court. Minister Responsible for Relations with the First Nations and the Inuit Ian Lafrenière made the announcement today accompanied by François Bonnardel, Minister of Public Security. The government will protect the privacy and anonymity of the families concerned throughout the process.

The families of the two children concerned by the disinterments are receiving support, pursuant to section 18 of the Act to authorize the communication of personal information to the families of Indigenous children who went missing or died after being admitted to an institution, which stipulates that "the minister may assist the families of missing or deceased Indigenous children in completing the formalities surrounding an application to the Superior Court for an order of disinterment." Through the legislation, the Québec government wishes to help the families and the communities shed light on the fate of their children.

They all hope in this way to grasp the circumstances surrounding the disappearance or death of the children after they were admitted to an institution and, if possible, to obtain confirmation of the identity of the bodies.

Since the Act came into force in September 2021, the Direction de soutien aux familles in the Secrétariat aux relations avec les Premières Nations et les Inuit, in collaboration with the Association des familles Awacak, has thus offered support to 80 families seeking information on the circumstances surrounding the death or disappearance of more than 120 children. In the course of their efforts, several of the families have expressed the desire to have disinterred the children, most of whom were not buried in community cemeteries. They wish to inter the children near their families, surrounded by their loved ones.

To successfully carry out the disinterment process, the Direction de soutien aux familles has assembled, in addition to the Association des familles Awacak, all the government partners concerned to support the families that seek such support. The coroner's office and the Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale, which are conducting the analyses necessary to identity the bodies, will play a key role in the disinterment process and in providing the expertise that the families require. The disinterments in question could take place during the summer.

Media representatives will be invited to a meeting in the coming weeks focusing on the technical aspects.

Quotes

"While it is important, this new step will be difficult for the already afflicted families. The disinterments covered by the first two Superior Court orders will, I hope, provide answers in addition to those stemming from the research conducted in the context of the Act, in addition to affording a sense of peace to the families that have suffered since the disappearance of their children. I would like to pay tribute to the resilience and determination of the loved ones, who have my wholehearted support. This trying process will remain confidential to protect the families' privacy and anonymity, as I have promised from the outset."

Ian Lafrenière, Minister Responsible for Relations with the First Nations and the Inuit

"For several months, the Québec government has ensured that the families that so desire have access to all the resources necessary to carry out the disinterments, including the expertise of the Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale, which can provide certain answers through identification technologies. We fervently hope that this scientific insight will help the families in their search for information and in their healing process."

François Bonnardel, Minister of Public Security

"I am pleased with the court's receptiveness to the families' requests in respect of the first disinterments, which reassures the families and allays their insecurity. Now that we have undergone the first test, we feel that we have been heard. The process will be less stressful for the next families that wish to make requests and we can reassure them."

Françoise Ruperthouse, Director General, Association des familles Awacak

Relevant links:

www.autochtones.gouv.qc.ca 

http://www.quebec.ca/enfantsdisparus

SOURCE Cabinet du ministre responsable des Relations avec les Premières Nations et les Inuit

Sources: Magalie Lapointe, Press Officer, Office of the Minister Responsible for Relations with the First Nations and the Inuit, Telephone: [phone]; Roxanne Bourque, Press Officer, Office of the Minister of Public Security, Telephone: [phone]