Inquiry into treatment of Innu children in care wraps up community meetings in Natuashish

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

The Inquiry into Innu experiences with the child protection system has finished its community sessions in Natuashish. 

Over the past week, the Mushuau Innu Healing Lodge has been the site of emotional testimony, as people addressed the three commissioners conducting the Inquiry into the Treatment, Experiences and Outcomes of Innu in the Child Protection System. 

"It has been very, very emotional and it's been very hard," said Mushuau Innu First Nation Chief John Nui. "Lots of pain. But if we don't share those experiences, you'll never know what's been happening to us and we won't learn from the experience."

Despite the emotional toll, some people are eager to let the public know what has happened, Nui said. The inquiry's three commissioners are investigating systemic issues with the child protection system and will make recommendations to improve it.

"I know that it's hard to talk about," said Nympha Byrne, one of the counsellors at the Mushuau Innu Healing Lodge. "Once you talk about these things you will feel much better and it is healing."

Byrne grew up in Davis Inlet and now splits her working time working between Natuashish and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. 

She's been working to help people who were speaking but also had her own experiences to share. Byrne didn't realize how much she was holding on to the past, she said. In her 20s, she was one of the people who worked as a translator with provincial social services. 

"It affected me so much, what I have seen in the past when they were taking kids away," Byrne said.

One situation that stands out to Byrne is when she was helping two elders who were raising their grandchildren, and the grandchildren were removed from the home. 

"Those two elders used to come in every day asking, asking me if I can call the social workers to tell them to bring the kids back here, their grandkids back," Byrne said. "I know how that affected those grandparents."

The grandparents, who have since died, did drink, she said, but they would have done anything for the grandchildren. Byrne said there was no empathy for what the grandparents had gone through in their lives or trying to understand the reasoning behind it. 

"And I think the social workers, the social services, did wrong to our people," Byrne said. "They just look at these people, at our people, as bad people."

There needs to be an understanding of Innu culture, of intergenerational trauma, of addictions and of the Innu-aimun language, Byrne said. She hopes to see Innu take over social services for their communities and have Innu trained as social workers to help their own people. 

While the schedule is not yet available online, the inquiry is anticipated to hold investigations into the deaths of six children, many of them from Natuashish, during the summer. 

"A lot of parents feel that the children were not treated right and there been negligence in some of the CPS's part to treat them right, and that's why we are here today," Nui said. 

"It's very important that the commissioners hear our stories from our side and what's been happening," Nui said. 

Nui said the community sessions have also helped foster togetherness and understanding in Natuashish.  

"I think it will provide more positive direction for people that are still struggling."

The commissioners were expected to deliver a final report in October but they have already asked for an extension. 

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

The Inquiry website has some important phone numbers for anyone in Natuashish, Sheshatshiu or elsewhere in the Labrador-Grenfell Health region looking for healing and crisis help, and anyone in the province can call 811, any time, for mental health support.