Quebec Youth Protection Criticized by Judge for Placing Inuk Teen in 64 Foster Homes

A Quebec court judge has issued a scathing decision highlighting major issues in youth protection services for Inuit children in Quebec’s North. The case involved a teenage girl who was shuffled between 64 different foster homes in less than 10 years, mostly in the South due to a lack of services in the North.

Quebec Court Judge Peggy Warolin ruled that the teen was deprived of her cultural identity by being placed so far from her original environment. She emphasized that no other group of adolescents in need of rehabilitation services should have to endure such displacement, calling it systemic discrimination.

The teenager, now 16, has been in youth protection since she was five and has struggled with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite initially being placed in foster families within her community, she was later moved to various homes in the South, disrupting her connection to her culture.

Warolin’s decision also highlighted territorial battles between the provincial Department of Youth Protection and local health authorities in Nunavik, exacerbating the lack of resources and services in the North.

The judge’s rulings underscored the ongoing challenges faced by Inuit teens in youth protection and echoed previous reports that have identified shortages in youth rehabilitation centers in the North. Quebec’s Human Rights Commission also raised concerns about the lack of appropriate housing and rehabilitation centers in Nunavik.

In response, Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant stated that the government is working with Indigenous authorities to address these issues and prevent similar cases from occurring. He emphasized the importance of developing programs to support families and prevent young people from entering the youth protection system in the first place.