A fourth day of Quebec hearings into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) is underway today, after harrowing testimony about the abuse of power and sexual assault of Innu women and girls by a once-respected Catholic priest.
The community of Mani-Utenam, near Sept-Îles, will be welcoming families that have travelled from across the Innu territory to share their stories with commissioners on the first Quebec stop of this Canada-wide inquiry.
Witnesses from Uashat, Nutashkuan and Ekuanitshit, Innu communities along the St. Lawrence River, are expected to speak on Thursday, on topics that range from disappearances, to domestic violence to discrimination.
Commissioner Michèle Audette hugs families from Unamen Shipu, Que., who gave devastating testimonies at the MMIWG inquiry on Wednesday in Mani-Utenam. (CBC)
On Tuesday and Wednesday, four women testified they had been victims of Alexis Joveneau, a Belgian missionary, alleging there were several others.
Joveneau, who arrived in Quebec from Belgium in the early 1950s, died in Unaman Shipu, also known as La Romaine, in 1992.
Women and men described to the inquiry’s commissioners the power Joveneau wielded over the communities, helping the government to force the people of Pakua Shipu to a new reserve 175 kilometres away in the 1960s, and the devastation left by the alleged sexual abuse.
(Julia Page/CBC)
Missing parents and children
In some cases, Innu families are speaking out for the first time in decades.
The family of Anne-Marie Jourdain said they believe their mother was murdered at the end of November 1957, while she was out trapping in the woods north of Port-Cartier, about 60 kilometres southwest of Sept-Îles.
Families from Pakua Shipu, near the Labrador border, also told commissioners how their children were never returned after being taken away for medical treatment to the nearby hospital in Blanc-Sablon in the 1970s.
A witness said death certificates were never provided for at least eight babies, who were never properly buried.
Noella Mark said she has managed to heal, after telling the @MMIWG she was allegedly abused by a priest, Alexis Joveneau, decades ago. “Now I love my body. I can help other women.” #MMIW #MMIWG pic.twitter.com/7hOLtdaW54
Next hearings set for Montreal
The hearings in Mani-Utenam, 900 kilometres northeast of Montreal, are the first to be held inside an Indigenous community.
The first phase of the hearings is dedicated to hearing personal testimonies, while the second phase in 2018 will be dedicated to government institutions.
The inquiry has made stops in Saskatoon, Edmonton, Membertou, N.S., Winnipeg, Smithers, B.C., and Whitehorse.
Bags like these for discarded tissues are available at the community hearings. (Julia Page/CBC)
The planned stop in Rankin Inlet in December was postponed, and will be rerouted to a hotel in the community at a later date.
The inquiry has confirmed it will hold hearings in Montreal next year — an announcement many families had been waiting for.
Commissioner Michèle Audette confirmed the decision prior to the opening ceremony Monday.