Class Action Suit Alleges Underfunding of Nunavik Child Welfare

Two survivors of Nunavik’s child welfare system hope to bring legal action against the governments of Canada and Quebec, alleging discriminatory and unlawful underfunding of child welfare services, Nunatsiaq News reports.

The plaintiffs say that for decades, both governments have breached class members’ constitutional right to equality by failing to provide health and social services on a level that is substantively equal to what any other Canadian child receives.

The suit also alleges the two governments have deprived Inuit children who required essential health, social and other services of services that were substantively equal to those available to non-Indigenous children in Quebec and Canada. 

The case will be presented before the Superior Court of Quebec, which will decide if the case will proceed as a class action.