ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The child and youth advocate is adding her voice to the renewed call for an inquiry into Innu children in care that was promised by the provincial government three years ago.
"Three years is too long to wait for this to happen,” Jackie Lake Kavanagh told SaltWire Network. “This is a really incredibly important issue that is affecting children now and in the future.”
The issue came to the forefront in recent weeks following the death of 15-year-old Wally Rich in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on May 22.
Rich, an Innu from Natuashish, was living in a group home at the time. Innu Nation Grand Chief Gregory Rich told SaltWire Network at the time he believed it may be the first death of an Innu child in care, but there have been others who took their own lives after returning to the community.
The call for the inquiry three years ago was sparked by the deaths of several teenagers who had recently been in the care of the province. Last October, the community of Sheshatshiu declared a suicide crisis after 10 suicide attempts in a few days in the town of 1,300.
The Innu Nation has called for an investigation into the circumstances leading up to the death of Rich, and questioned why the promised inquiry has not moved ahead yet.
“Innu families and our communities have waited too long. This inquiry is needed now. Systemic issues must be investigated and addressed. This inquiry must happen,” Gregory Rich said in a statement on June 15.
Large number in care
Lake Kavanagh said it’s an incredibly important issue that needs to be the subject of an inquiry to address some of the problems that Innu face in the system.
Of the approximately 1,000 children in care in the province, just under 170 are Innu. Since there are approximately 2,200 Innu in Labrador, about eight per cent of the population is in the custody of the province. A significant number of those are not near one of the two Innu communities, which is a serious concern, Lake Kavanagh said.
“Those are very real concerns and the Innu, rightly, want to get to the base of these issues,” she said. “A number of people don’t seem to appreciate how important the issue of cultural relevance is. It’s not something people do, it’s how they live, it’s how they see the world.”
"A number of people don’t seem to appreciate how important the issue of cultural relevance is."
— Jackie Lake Kavanagh
She said that’s why is so important the Innu drive the process when it comes to changes to the provincial system, to reflect their cultural perspective.
Issues such as language and culture loss have been highlighted by the Innu Nation in the past as a concern when children in care return from outside Natuashish or Sheshatshiu.
MHAs call for action
Two members of the House of Assembly for Labrador, Jordan Brown and Lela Evans, brought up the statement from the child and youth advocate in the House of Assembly on Monday, questioning why it had been delayed and when it would proceed.
Premier Dwight Ball said the province has not been procrastinating on the issue and part of the delay was getting the federal government on board to take part in the inquiry. He said they are working on finding a commissioner for the inquiry.
These are some excerpts from the Child and Youth Advocate's press release today, June 15, 2020... " And now here we are...
Posted by Lela Evans on Monday, June 15, 2020
Evan Careen is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering Labrador for SaltWire Network