The justice system is failing Quebec inuit

We demand immediate reform and accountability.

The justice system in northern Quebec is increasingly struggling to deal with a steady inflow of Inuit defendants, a group facing rates of prosecution and incarceration at least 20 times greater than the general population.

Killings by law enforcement

Too many lives lost. A system failing to deescalate situations, serve and protect .

Find out more:

• Seize décès liés à des interventions policières au Nunavik depuis 2016

• Inuk man shot dead by Nunavik police a victim of systemic racism: Crown-Indigenous minister

Harmed children and survivors of crime

Despite numerous denunciations, inuit survivors of crime are still not being treated equally and getting the support they are entitled to, as citizens of Quebec.

Find out more:

• Justice system in northern Quebec straining at the seams and devastating victims, say Crown prosecutors

• Death in the Arctic: A community grieves, a father fights for change

Hundreds of dropped cases

Hundreds of cases were dropped by prosecutors in the district serving Nunavik, as number as high as the total number of the dropped cases for the rest of Quebec.

“Behind every abandoned case, there are victims, citizens who lose confidence in their justice system. This is intolerable. Above all, it’s an electric shock for all those involved,” lamented Minister Jolin-Barrette, but year after year failing to bring real reform and solutions.

Find out more:

• 160 verdicts qui ne seront jamais prononcés : «C’est seulement la pointe de l’iceberg»

Worn down facilities

Victims, defendants and justice system workers are crowded into a few cramped, poorly ventilated rooms.

The configuration of the courthouses also means that survivors of crime sometimes find themselves face to face with their attacker, a traumatic situation.

The working conditions are very poor not only in Kuujjuaq, but more broadly, throughout Nunavik.

Find out more:

• Des voix s’élèvent pour dénoncer la vétusté des palais de justice du Nunavik

Revolving door justice

The justice system in northern Quebec is increasingly struggling to deal with a steady inflow of Inuit defendants, a group facing rates of prosecution and incarceration at least 20 times greater than the general population.

According to key players in Nunavik's judicial apparatus, the system is at a breaking point after years of growth, which has included new judges and more court hearings. Officials say structural reforms are needed to reduce the number of people brought before the courts and to restore the credibility of the justice system among the Inuit population.

Find out more:

• Nunavik's courts are struggling to deliver justice to Inuit populations

Alarming suicide rates

Nunavik's rates are12 times higher than the provincial average, and men are most at risk.

Historically, Inuit in Canada had relatively low suicide rates. But they've risen dramatically since the 1980s. Violence, substance misuse, intergenerational trauma and social inequities are among some of the factors involved, according to a study published in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health.

Find out more:

• Nunavik advocates push for more Inuit-led suicide prevention efforts

We demand: real & immediate change

Our three demands are clear.

1. May local police officers no longer carry lethal service firearms:

We demand that de-escalation becomes the ultimate real priority of any intervention. Police methods and organizations must change. The police failed to defuse situations. Precious lives are lost forever.

Many police officers, in the United Kingdom, the United States, and other jurisdictions, no longer carry lethal service weapons. We respectfully demand this solution, here and now.

2. Must a commission of inquiry and public reform be established on police and judicial services in Nunavik from 2005-2025:

The findings have been overwhelming for a long time. Real reform is needed, immediately.

The judicial and police system of Quebec is failing Nunavimiuuts. The data is alarming. We demand that a public commission for immediate reform and investigation be established, under the tutelage and supervision of the federal government. In particular, we require that be analysed:

-The hundreds of charges having failed due to stays of proceedings ordered under article 579 CCR pronounced by Amos crown prosecutors and authorized by provincial head of DPCP.

-The failure to support victims and survivors of criminal acts as required by law.

-The overcriminalization of local populations.

-Cancellations of court sessions in violation of the requirements of the JBNQA.

-The failure to respect strict deadlines and numerous fundamental rights, including inuit right to equality.

3. A Reconciliation Quebec team be created with immediate investments of more than $250M in health & social services to citizens of Nunavik

Investments are immediately needed in all 14 communities for:

• Multigenerational and postcolonial trauma specialists;

• Care for survivors of crime, women and children

• Addiction and mental health specialists;

• Prevention and education;

• Infrastructure.