For an extended period, Pierre-Paul Niquay had pondered the fate of his two elder brothers, who may still be alive in Quebec. Joseph Jean Antonio Niquay and Paul-Émile Niquay were taken from Wemotaci, their home community, and hospitalized in La Tuque, Quebec, located 115 kilometers away, due to a health complication when they were toddlers. Subsequently, they vanished without a trace. As per Niquay, his parents were initially informed that the children had perished from consuming spoiled milk, a narrative he finds dubious.
After years of fruitless personal investigations, Niquay’s family joined over 100 Indigenous families who, utilizing a Quebec law enacted in June 2021, sought access to medical records. This legislation, previously known as Bill 79, empowers Indigenous families to retrieve medical records of missing or deceased loved ones who were in health-care facilities in Quebec before 1992. A recent government report revealed that 129 Indigenous families have initiated the process to search for 221 missing children since the law’s implementation, with only 21 cases resolved, including ten in the last year.
To facilitate the families in accessing records and navigating the subsequent steps, Quebec’s Indigenous affairs ministry’s family support division and the Indigenous-led organization Awacak have been tasked. Françoise Ruperthouse, Awacak’s general manager, emphasized the emotional aspect of the quest, stating that the search is conducted with heartfelt dedication, driven by the anguish of not finding closure.
In another account, Norman A. Wapachee, from Oujé-Bougoumou in the Cree community, is collaborating with a cemetery near Saguenay, Quebec, to repatriate the remains of his late sister, Hattie, who passed away in Roberval, Quebec, as an infant. Wapachee’s inability to bring his sister home due to her burial in an unmarked grave reflects the challenges faced by many Indigenous families seeking closure.
The law has provided some families with answers, enabling them to repatriate the remains of lost children. Despite these positive outcomes, Ruperthouse advocates for expanding the law beyond 1992, emphasizing that numerous children vanished post-1992, necessitating a broader scope. Minister Ian Lafrenière, responsible for relations with First Nations and Inuit, affirmed his commitment to upholding the law and supporting families in their pursuit of truth, acknowledging the somber chapter in Quebec’s history that necessitates acknowledgment and rectification.