Natives ask for authorization to bring a class action for all the abuses, sexual and physical assaults and kidnappings they allege to have suffered at the hands of the police officers of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) in the region of Val-d’Or , in Abitibi.
This request was filed Tuesday by the Trudel Johnston & Lespérance firm, which represents the Val-d’Or Native Friendship Center. The latter, together with an indigenous woman, proposes to be the representative of this lawsuit.
Class action must be authorized by a judge before proceeding. Once this green light is obtained, the prosecution can go through all the normal steps leading to a trial.
The lawsuit is directed against the Quebec government, which is responsible for the SQ.
It aims to denounce the “discriminatory practices” and the abuses towards indigenous people committed by certain SQ agents, as well as to obtain financial compensation for the people who have been victims of these acts, it is written on the web page of the cabinet. No amount is specified at this time, but punitive damages are claimed.
“The indigenous victims of the SQ agents were targeted because of the high precariousness in which they lived, itself the legacy of the colonial policies adopted by the governments of Canada and Quebec and maintained by the omnipresent racism in their communities” , is it reported in the lawsuit.
The action refers to numerous cases of sexual assault exposed by Indigenous women which formed the basis for the show’s reporting Investigation from Radio-Canada. It is also based on testimonies given during the Commission of Inquiry on Relations between Aboriginals and Certain Public Services in Quebec (Viens Commission).
No time limit is specified: thus, people who suffered the alleged acts a long time ago can be part of the group, specifies the Montreal law firm. The lawsuit speaks of “several decades”.
The Val-d’Or Native Friendship Center believes that the Government of Quebec is required to repair the damage caused by these practices and abuses – clear violations of the rights of these people protected by the Quebec and Canadian Charters of Rights – since ‘they were committed by SQ agents on duty. He is also of the opinion that the government must answer for the fact that SQ executives were aware of these practices, but failed to put an end to them.