For an extended period, Pierre-Paul Niquay pondered the fate of his two older brothers, Joseph Jean Antonio Niquay and Paul-Émile Niquay, who vanished after being taken from their home in Wemotaci to a hospital in La Tuque, Que., due to a childhood health issue. The explanation provided to his parents at the time, attributing their demise to spoiled milk consumption, has always struck Niquay as dubious.
After years of fruitless searching, Niquay’s family joined over 100 Indigenous families in utilizing a Quebec law enacted in June 2021, known as Bill 79, allowing access to medical records of missing or deceased loved ones in Quebec healthcare facilities pre-1992. The law has prompted 129 Indigenous families to initiate inquiries into 221 missing children, with 21 cases resolved, including ten in the past year.
The Quebec Indigenous affairs ministry and Awacak, an Indigenous-led organization, are aiding families in retrieving records and guiding them through the process. Françoise Ruperthouse, Awacak’s general manager, emphasizes the heartfelt nature of their search, emphasizing the anguish of unanswered questions.
Ruperthouse, having lost two siblings in the healthcare system herself, emphasizes the personal toll and the urgency of such investigations. Norman A. Wapachee, from Oujé-Bougoumou, is collaborating with a cemetery in Mashteuiatsh to repatriate the remains of his sister, Hattie, who died as an infant in Roberval, Que.
Reg Nepinak, residing in Fork River, Man., shares his struggle in repatriating his sister Marlene Charlette, who passed away in a Quebec facility and was interred in an unmarked grave in Magog, Que. The law has provided some closure for Nepinak, but limitations in accessing records outside Quebec have hampered efforts for many Indigenous families.
Ruperthouse advocates for extending the law post-1992 to address ongoing cases of missing children. The legislation has facilitated repatriations for five families, offering a glimmer of hope amid the shadows of Quebec’s history. Minister Ian Lafrenière vows to uphold the law and support families in their quest for truth and closure, acknowledging the importance of confronting this somber chapter in Quebec’s past.