Province of Quebec releases findings on Public Inquiry Commission

By Kaniehtonkie

Three days after Joyce Echaquan laid on her deathbed calling for help while being bombarded with racist and condescending remarks, the Government of Québec released the findings from a Public Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous People and public services including health care and youth protection agencies, the correctional system, justice and police over the last 15 years. The commission was given a broad mandate to look into the treatment of First Nations and Inuit people in Quebec.

The inquiry was launched in December 2016 by the former Liberal government, under pressure to act in the wake of a Radio-Canada investigation into allegations of police misconduct against Indigenous women in the town of Val-d’Or, about 525 kilometers northwest of Montreal. The Public Inquiry Commission was chaired by chaired by the Honorable Jacques Viens.

On September 30, 2019, the Public Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous Peoples and certain public services in Québec: listening, reconciliation and progress, released the report submitted to the government at the completion of its mandate. The commission heard or received submissions from more than 1,000 people. The report is the result of more than nine months of testimony about the decades of abuse, mistreatment and neglect endured by Indigenous people.

Presenting the findings in Val d’Or Viens said, “After 38 weeks of hearings in Val-d’Or, Montreal, Quebec, Uashat mak Mani-Utenam, Mistissini, Kuujjuarapik, and Kuujjuaq, and some 1,300 documents filed in evidence, it seems impossible to deny the systemic discrimination experienced by First Nations and Inuit peoples in their relations with public services investigated”.

In a press release dated Sept. 30, it states, “Commissioner Jacques Viens’ findings are unequivocal. First Nations and Inuit peoples in Québec are indeed victims of systemic discrimination in their relations with the public services investigated. As stated by the Commissioner: “While the problems may not always be systemic, the Commission’s hearings have made one thing evident: current structures and processes show a clear lack of sensitivity to the social, geographical and cultural realities of Indigenous peoples.

In some cases, this lack of sensitivity manifests as a complete a lack of service, which leaves

entire populations to their own devices, with no ability to act in order to remedy the situations.

More than their rights, thousands of people are being robbed of their dignity because they are

forced to live under deplorable conditions, deprived of their own cultural references. In a

developed society such as ours, this reality is simply unacceptable.”

In a call for reconciliation and a new balance of forces, the Commission’s report puts forward 142 measures, several of which stem from findings that apply to all services investigated. One of these recommendations is the adoption by the National Assembly of a motion to recognize and

implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as the

adoption of a law to ensure that the provisions of this Declaration are incorporated into Québec’s

legislative corpus.

These two calls to action set the groundwork for all other proposed cross-disciplinary measures,

from prioritizing Indigenous peoples in population research, to improving living conditions,

removing language barriers to access, supporting and assisting the First Nations and Inuit in their

relations with public services, and providing training and information for both citizens and

professionals.

Specific recommendations were also made for each of the public services investigated by the

Commission. They include:

- Granting Indigenous police forces the same status as other police organizations in Québec, and

modifying the resulting financial resource allocation process;

- Concluding agreements on the creation of specific administration of justice systems with

Indigenous nations, communities or organizations operating in urban areas;

- Developing an assessment tool specific to Indigenous offenders in correctional settings;

- Increasing access to many health and social services in both urban and Indigenous settings;

and finally

- A real commitment and support for the conclusion of agreements with Indigenous nations and

communities on implementing a special youth protection program.

For the first time in Québec, the report also suggests implementing follow-up measures, the first

of which entrusts the Québec Ombudsman with the responsibility to assess and monitor the

implementation of all proposed calls for action until they are fulfilled. From a citizen watch

standpoint, the Commissioner also recommended that the Commission’s summary report be

translated into Indigenous languages, and be used in a cultural mediation exercise that

incorporates the oral tradition of Indigenous peoples.

Created in December 2016 by the Government of Québec, the Public Inquiry Commission was

mandated to investigate and carry out all necessary analyses to make recommendations to

prevent or eliminate, regardless of origin and cause, all forms of violence, discriminatory practices and differential treatment imposed on Indigenous peoples in the delivery of public services. Five public services were investigated: police, justice, corrections, health and social services, and youth protection services. The decree also specified that the investigation should cover the past 15 years.

At the conclusion of the work, the eleven nations had been visited, as well as the majority of First Nations and Nunavik communities. As a result, 765 witnesses were heard over the 38 weeks of hearings. More than 400 other people also shared their stories through written statements. In total, more than 1,000 individuals were able to participate in the work spanning from December 2016 to September 2019.

Those who wish to do so may review all of the evidence heard, as well as the statements and

documents filed in evidence on the Commission’s website at http://www.cerp.gouv.qc.ca. The

Commission’s report is also available at the same address, in French and English.