Death of Young Inuk Man Underlines Police Violence in Nunavik

The small community of Salluit, Nunavik in northern Quebec is mourning the loss of community member Joshua Papigatuk. Salluit is the second northernmost Inuit community in Quebec, located on Sugluk Inlet close to the Hudson Strait.

Joshua Papigatuk was shot by a Nunavik police officer in his community in the early morning hours on Nov. 4. His twin brother, Garnet Papigatuk, was also at the scene and shot by the officer as well. Garnet was medevaced to a hospital in the south where he received surgery.

According to APTN News, they were told by a source in contact with the family that Garnet woke up on Monday and is now in stable condition.

Quebec watchdog the Bureau des Enquetes has five investigators looking into the situation.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the BEI said preliminary information provided to the BEI suggests the incident occurred after a call was made to 911 over a person attempting to drive while impaired. It said two officers arrived on scene leading to a physical altercation between the officers and two people.

The BEI said the police used electric shock weapons and pepper spray to subdue the people without success then a police officer opened fire at one of the people. The BEI said the officer then continued to open fire on the second person.

This is the tenth Indigenous person to die in Canada during an interaction with police since the end of August. Nunavik is the Inuit region in northern sub-Arctic Quebec. It has a history of police violence towards community members. Between July 2016 and September 2018, civilians were being killed by Nunavik's police service at the highest rate in Quebec.

Data from Quebec's chief coroner's office between 2000 and 2018 found Nunavik had more police-related deaths than any of Canada's three territories, despite having a population about one-third of each territory.

The Nunavik police service is at the heart of more than four per cent of all incidents including death or serious injury it investigates, according to the BEI.

The Nunavik police has had approximately 26 times more lethal and/or severe injury events compared to the Montreal police since 2016.

Protests have been held in Nunavik in response to the killing of Joshua Papigatuk for the last two days.

Many in the social group Salluit Breaking News are questioning the use of guns against community members and calling for accountability.

"[I] hope our community leaders will get us some answers to why lethal weapons were used to our friend's & relatives [Joshua] & Garnet," group member Ali Audlaluk wrote. "Don't Nunavik Police Force have [non] lethal devices on them too."

APTN asked Nunavik police about whether the officer was still on duty. It did not respond to their request by airtime.

Pita Aatami the president for Makivvik, the legal representation of Quebec's Inuit, said in a statement that this incident is a painful reminder that Nunavik needs significant reform to truly serve and protect the community.

"Non-lethal de-escalation methods must become standard practice, and there must be a stronger, more respectful connection between police and our communities," said Aatami. "When police enter our communities, they should be here to protect us-not to cause harm.

Makivvik, a political organization representing Inuit in Nunavik, said it strongly condemns the actions of the police.

"This tragedy is a painful reminder that policing in Nunavik needs significant reform to truly serve and protect our people," President Pita Aatami said in a written statement.

"When police enter our communities, they should be here to protect us - not to cause harm."

Ian Lafrenière, Québec's minister responsible for relations with the First Nations and the Inuit, said he understands the protesters' frustrations.

"Let's wait for the investigation. Let's see the results of that. This is a tough moment for the community. This is a tough moment for the police officers as well," he told reporters at the National Assembly of Québec.

Arrest of woman by Nunavik police reflects disturbing attitude towards Inuit, advocates say

The Kativik Regional Government (KRG), which has civilian oversight over the Nunavik Police Service (NPS), said it's been working closely with its partners, and ensuring Sallumiut have the resources they need.

The incident has caused outrage across the region, with people seen protesting outside Salluit's police station earlier in the week. Protests also continued into a second day on Tuesday, including in Quaqtaq, Kangirsuk, and Kuujjuaq.

The shooting has affected people across Nunavik and beyond on social media, with people posting the hashtags "justiceforjoshua" and "justiceforthetwins."

Organizer Suzy Kaukai called on other communities to join in the demonstrations.

"There is a lack of trust between communities and the police," she said. "They have a responsibility to be transparent ... we don't want to be left in the dark. That's why we protested."