Gathering Stories of Forced Sterilization of Inuit Women in Quebec

The Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador is launching a research project into the coerced sterilization of First Nations and Inuit women in Quebec, according to Nunatsiaq News.

The organization is inviting women who think they may have been sterilized without their consent to come forward with their experiences, or a loved one’s story, with their permission.

“There is a glaring lack of relevant data on this topic in Quebec,” Suzy Basile, who leads the Canada Research Chair on Indigenous Women’s Issues at Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, said in a news release.

The practice mostly happened between the 1920s and 1970s, but over 100 women have come forward with experiences occurring between the late 1970s and 2019.

In 2018, the United Nations Committee Against Torture demanded Canada take action to stop the coerced sterilizations.