Inquiry commissioners hear stories of separation, trauma and cultural loss in Natuashish 

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

Joachim Selma's experience with Newfoundland and Labrador's child-protection system goes back a long time, intertwined with someone who's no longer around to tell his own story.

"My story goes back in the '70s," said Selma at the Healing Lodge in Natuashish this week during community meetings for the Inquiry Respecting the Treatment, Experiences and Outcomes of Innu in the Child Protection System in Labrador this week. "It's for my brother because he cannot speak for himself."    

The inquiry is gathering testimony of experiences with and opinions on the child protection system, as well as Innu history and culture, in hopes of creating recommendations to help the Innu take over their child protection system. 

Selma is one of the people who chose to speak publicly — speaking privately is also an option — to the two commissioners in Natuashish, Anastasia Qupee and Mike Devine. Commissioner James Igloliorte had to leave Natuashish early due to personal reasons. 

Selma said he grew up on the land, immersed in Innu culture. His younger brother Peter was a chubby baby and beginning to crawl when he was taken from Sheshatshiu for medical reasons to St. Anthony, Selma said — and never came back. 

"As far as I know, the police came with papers for my mother to sign. My mother didn't know what she was signing. It's believed she signed the adoption papers," Selma said.  

Selma said his father had died and his mother was on her own. For years, he said, they looked for his baby brother, and when he was eventually found, the Innu Nation funded a reunion trip for the family. 

"My mother was overjoyed. She had tears in her eyes," Selma said. "When we spoke to each other, my mother, sisters and I in our Innu language, he kept saying, 'What are you guys saying?' He had a lot of questions and so did we."

Selma said social workers told Peter his family had to initiate contact, while the family was told Peter had to. 

As an adult, Peter moved to Sheshatshiu and had his own family, Selma said, but he struggled with addictions. Selma said the addictions were rooted in the trauma of being removed from his family, language and culture as a child and not knowing who he was. 

"He didn't understand our culture. He didn't feel Innu," Selma said. "What hurt him the most is that he could not communicate with our mother."

Selma said the addictions led to medical complications, and Peter was taken to St. John's, where he died in hospital. 

"I went to my mother. She was crying so hard and said to me, 'I lost your brother years ago and found him but only to lose him again forever,'" Selma said. "The system broke my family apart. The system broke my mother's heart twice."