'I have no one here to speak my language to': Inuit youth at Batshaw describe isolation, lack of schooling

Inuit youth from Nunavik who are flown south and placed in the care of Batshaw Youth and Family Centres deal with "incredible homesickness," a lack of access to school in a language they understand and cultural barriers, according to a report obtained by CBC.

The document, first reported on by The Gazette, was presented to Batshaw in May. The review was commissioned after a CBC investigation revealed Inuit children placed in Quebec youth protection often find themselves lacking support and appropriate services.

Author Leigh Johnston was tasked with reviewing the "cultural safety" of Inuit youth placed in Batshaw's care.

Among her findings, Johnston said that Batshaw staff expressed "a frustration with the lack of any training specific to the Inuit culture." She flagged that while staff expressed "a great empathy for the youth" and a desire to better understand the reality of "the North," they had not received any relevant training.

In response to allegations that youth were banned from speaking Inuktitut among themselves, Johnston said out of the eight children she interviewed, only one had been told to not speak her mother tongue. In that case, it was because another youth had been speaking to her in Inuktitut and encouraging her to run away.

However, Johnston concluded, Inuit youth at Batshaw do face real risks of losing their mother tongue, if only because of isolation. 

She shared how, "when asked if she had ever been told not to speak Inuktitut, one youth responded sadly 'Leigh, they don't have to tell me not to speak Inuktitut — I have no one here to speak my language to.'"

No access to English schools

For many youth living in Nunavik, French is their third language, after English. There's no requirement for children in Nunavik to acquire an English eligibility certificate to attend school in English.

'Part of the reason that I am in placement is that I wasn't attending school. So they send me here, and I am not allowed to go to school.'​​- Youth quoted in Batshaw report

But the report points out that English-language school boards in the south of Quebec are not permitted, by law, to admit students who do not have their eligibility certificate.

As a result, the students can't attend school with other children and have to be tutored.

"As one youth put it: 'Part of the reason that I am in placement is that I wasn't attending school. So they send me here, and I am not allowed to go to school,'" Johnston wrote.

While the report is somewhat critical, it also emphasizes that individual staff members seem to have a genuine interest in wanting to do more to adapt their services to Inuit culture.

"Batshaw staff, as individuals and teams ... demonstrated a strong dedication to these youth, doing everything within their power to be helpful to them," she said.

Johnston suggests there's a need for more formalized support of Inuit cultural awareness on an institutional level.

While "there is always room for improvement," Johnson said, she ends her report with a quote from Beverley Robinson, assistant director for the youth program at the CIUSSS-de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal: "We don't just tolerate other cultures — we respect them!"

Concerns of bias 

"Who they chose to look into the allegations is the first glaring issue," said Elizabeth Fast, an assistant professor of applied human sciences at Concordia University, and a Métis from Manitoba.

Fast, who has experience working in child welfare, said she has concerns about how Batshaw went about its review.

"This is a former high-level employee of the organization who is selecting certain youth who may or may not feel at ease, talking to her." 

Fast has not been able to read Batshaw's report, even though the research team she works with has been asking for a copy for months.

"They should have selected an Indigenous person who might provide a more informed understanding of the issues," she said.

Fast was part of a team of researchers who produced a separate report, released in November, which found Indigenous children and their families were subjected to "racist attitudes" by administrators of Batshaw, the youth protection agency serving English-speaking Montrealers. 

The team tried to work with Batshaw, Fast said, in producing their report, entitled One step forward, two steps back: Child welfare services for Indigenous clientele living in Montreal. 

Ultimately, they became frustrated with the lack of change, she said, and the failure to address the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action. 

• Care of Indigenous children at Batshaw compromised by 'racist attitudes,' report finds

"The agency ... hasn't responded to the TRC recommendations to provide training. Most staff have very, very, very minimal knowledge on all Indigenous peoples, particularly Inuit," Fast said.

A spokesperson for the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, which oversees Batshaw, declined to comment on the Johnston report. 

Quebec's Ministry of Health and Social Services said that since it was made aware of the problem of access to English schools for youth from Nunavik, it's been working with the Ministry of Education and the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal to find short-term solutions and ensure Inuit students in Batshaw's care are enrolled in school as soon as possible.