SQ doesn't take Indigenous drug problems seriously, Innu chief says

The drug problem inInnucommunitiesis not a priority for Quebec provincial police and that is leavingresidents there feeling vulnerable, said the chief of one such community on the North Shore.

The chief of Nutashkuan, Rodrigue Wapistan, made the comments on Monday while testifying before a provincial commission looking into relations between Indigenous people in Quebec and public bodies.

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Wapistan said his community hasn't had a local police detachment since 2006, which means the closest Suret du Qubec police station is in Havre-Saint-Pierre, Que., 160 kilometres away. That limits their ability to deal with social problems.

"Methamphetamine has decimated our community," Wapistan said.

"These are high-risk individuals. You all saw what happened in the North," he told commissioner Jacques Viens, referring to an attack Saturday in the community of Akulivikin which four people died.

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Wapistan said elders in Nutashkuan don't feel safe as more and more youth become addicted to drugs and go several days without sleep.

He said when he tries to call attention to the problem, police officials tell him they are focusing on "catching the big dealers in the city."

"For them it's a small matter, but for me it's huge,"Wapistan added.

The Quebec government launched the inquiry last December, a year after Radio-Canada reported allegations by several Indigenous women who said they were physically and sexually abused by provincial police officers stationed in Val-d'Or.

Traditions not respected

Wapistan's testimony also drew attention to the cultural divide that exists between Innu and Quebec society, a divide that can complicate receiving medical and social services.

The community of 800 is close-knit and dedicated to maintaining its traditions, he said.

"Nutashkuan is a big family," he said. "If someone is sent to the city forpalliative care, I have to charter a whole plane."

But, he added, hospital staff are sometimes uncomfortable seeing large groups arriving all at once and don't allow them to play drums or perform traditional ceremonies.

"Hospitals have to understand that people gather in homes to pray.That's how it's worked for years."

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Thisdisregard for Innu customs is also evident when social services want to intervene in families,Wapistansaid.

He described asituationwhere social workers visited a family without the presence of local caseworkers, who were participating in the community's annual pilgrimage.

''The father told me he felt like he was backin theresidential-schools era,'' saidWapistan.

Respecting the territory

The Innu chief repeatedly told the commission that what is most needed from the government is respect and genuine consultation processes.

The province often holds consultations before major projects such as theLa Romaine hydro-electric site or theHighway 138 extension. But once work begins,Wapistan said,agreements aren't respected.

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He pointed to the proposed route for the new segment of Highway 138, which intersects with his community's territory.

"The Ministry of Transport is erasing our footsteps," Wapistan said. "On the route they have proposed there are cemeteries and portages.''

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The commission is scheduled to continue the first round of hearings in Val-D'Or until June 20th. It will then break for the summer while investigators continue work on the ground.