National Inquiry into Enquête nationale Missing and Murdered sur les femmes et les filles Indigenous Women and Girls autochtones disparues et assassinées National Inquiry into Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Truth-Gathering Process - Parts II & III Institutional & Expert/Knowledge-Keeper Hearings: “Colonial Violence” Frobisher Hotel, Koojesse Room Iqaluit, Nunavut PUBLIC Mixed Parts II & III Volume I Monday September 10, 2018 Panel I: “Inuit Perspective Panel” Elisapi Aningmiuq, Tukisigiarvik Centre (Iqaluit) Hagar Idlout-Sudlovenick, Director of Social Development, Qikiqtani Inuit Association Inukshuk Aksalnik, Qikiqtani Truth Commission Coordinator INTERNATIONAL REPORTING INC. 41-5450 Canotek Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1J 9G2 E-mail: [email protected] – Phone: 613-748-6043 – Fax: 613-748-8246 II APPEARANCES Assembly of First Nations Julie McGregor(Legal Counsel) Association of Native Child & Sarah Beamish (Legal Counsel) Family Service Agencies Ontario (ANCFSAO) Congress of Aboriginal Peoples Melissa Cernigoy (Representative) Eastern Door Indigenous Natalie Clifford Women's Association (Legal Counsel) Government of Alberta Doreen Mueller (Legal Counsel) Government of Canada Donna Keats (Legal Counsel) Government of Manitoba Samuel Thomson (Legal Counsel) Government of Nunavut Alexandre J. Blondin (Legal Counsel) Government of Saskatchewan Macrina Badger (Legal Counsel) Independent First Nations Sarah Beamish (Legal Counsel) ITK - Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Elizabeth Zarpa (Legal Counsel) MMIWG Coalition Manitoba Catherine Dunn (Legal Counsel) Northwest Territories Native Jessi Casebeer (Legal Counsel) Women’s Association NunatuKavut Community Council Sarah Baddeley (Legal Counsel) Inc. Victor Ryan (Legal Counsel) Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Beth Symes (Legal Counsel- Canada, AnânauKatiget Tumingit all) Regional Inuit Women's Parniga Akeeagok Association Inc., Saturviit (Representative / Pauktuutit) Inuit Women's Association of Nunavik, Ottawa Inuit Children's Centre and Manitoba Inuit Association Regina Treaty Status Indian Erica Beaudin (Representative) Services, Inc. III APPEARANCES Vancouver Sex Workers Rights Carly Teillet (Legal Counsel) Collective IV TABLE OF CONTENTS Truth-Gathering Process - Mixed Part II & III Volume I Panel I: Inuit Perspectives Panel Witness: Elisapi Aningmiuq Chair: Lillian Lundrigan Second chairs: Shelby Thomas & Thomas Barnett Witnesses: Hagar Idlout-Sudlovenick & Inukshuk Aksalnik Chair: Violet Ford Second chairs: Shelby Thomas & Thomas Barnett Heard by Chief Commissioner Marion Buller & Commissioners Michèle Audette (via Skype), Brian Eyolfson & Qajaq Robinson Grandmothers, Elders & Knowledge-keepers: Micah Arreak (National Family Advisory Circle – NFAC), Louise Haulli, Kathy Louis, Laureen “Blu” Waters, Leslie Spillett Clerks: Maryiam Khoury & Gladys Wraight Registrar: Bryan Zandberg V TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Opening Remarks 1 Panel I: Inuit Perspective Panels ELISAPI DAVIDEE ANINGMIUQ, SWORN 4 Examination in-Chief by MS. LILLIAN LUNDRIGAN 4 INUKSHUK AKSALNIK, AFFIRMED 26 Examination in-Chief by MS. VIOLET FORD 26 HAGAR IDIOUT_SUDLOVENICK, AFFIRMED 35 Examination in-Chief by MS. VIOLET FORD 35 HAGAR IDIOUT_SUDLOVENICK & INUKSHUK AKSALNIK Examination in-Chief by MS. VIOLET FORD 55 CROSS-EXAMINATIONS OF PANEL 1 BY PARTIES WITH STANDING Cross-Examination by MS. SARAH BEAMISH 67 Cross-Examination by MS. ELIABETH ZARPA 84 Cross-Examination by MS. SARAH BEAMISH 109 Cross-Examination by MS. CATHERINE DUNN 117 Cross-Examination by MS. ERICA BEAUDIN 135 Cross-Examination by Ms. JESSI CASEBEER 148 Cross-Examination by Mr. VICTOR RYAN 162 Cross-Examination by MS. JULIE McGREGOR 175 VI LIST OF EXHIBITS NO. DESCRIPTION PAGE Panel 1: Inuit Perspective Panels Witness: Elisapi D. Aningmiuq Counsel: Lillian Lundrigan (Commission Counsel) 1 Bio of Elisapi D. Aningmiuq (one page) 6 2 Iqaluit Tukisigiarvik Centre brochure 12 (Inuktitut version) 3 Iqaluit Tukisigiarvik Centre brochure 12 (English version) Witness: Inukshuk Aksalnik Counsel: Violet Ford (Commission Counsel) 4 Resume of Inukshuk Aksalnik (three pages) 28 Witness: Hagar Idlout-Sudlovenick Counsel: Violet Ford (Commission Counsel) 5 “Nuuntauniq: Moves in Inuit Life,” in Qikiqtani 38 Truth Commission Thematic Reports and Special Studies 1950 – 1975 (52 pages) 6 Paliisikkut: Policing in Qikiqtaaluk,” in Qikiqtani 44 Truth Commission Thematic Reports and Special Studies 1950 – 1975 (57 pages) 7 “Qimmiliriniq: Inuit Sled Dogs in Qikiqtaaluk,” in 49 Qikiqtani Truth Commission Thematic Reports and Special Studies 1950 – 1975, published April 2014, ISBN: 978-1-927095-63-8 (85 pages) VII LIST OF EXHIBITS NO. DESCRIPTION PAGE Witnesses: Hagar Idlout-Sudlovenick & Inukshuk Aksalnik Counsel: Violet Ford (Commission Counsel) 8 “QTC Final Report: Achieving Saimaqatiqiingniq,” in 62 Qikiqtani Truth Commission Thematic Reports and Special Studies 1950 – 1975, published April 2014, ISBN: 978-1-927095-63-8 (English / Inuktitut bilingual bound volume; 83 pages in English & 105 pages in Inuktitut) 9 Qikiqtani Truth Commission Thematic Reports 63 and Special Studies 1950 – 1975, published April 2014, ISBN: 978-1-927095-63-8 (hardcopy book, English version, 552 pages) 10 Qikiqtani Truth Commission Thematic Reports and 63 Special Studies 1950 – 1975, published April 2014, ISBN: 978-1-927095-65-1 (hardcopy book, Inuktitut version, 671 pages) 11 Qikiqtani Truth Commission Community Histories 64 1950-1975, published in 2013, ISBN: 978-1-927095-62-1 (hardcopy book, English version, 510 pages) 12 Qikiqtani Truth Commission Community Histories 64 1950-1975, published in 2013, ISBN: 978-1-927095-62-1 (hardcopy book, Inuktitut version, 557 pages) 13 Qikiqtani Truth Commission, Final Report – 65 Recommendations 1-25 (English / Inuktitut two-sided bilingual poster) 1 OPENING REMARKS 1 Iqaluit, Nunavut 2 --- Upon Commencing on September 10, 2018 at 9:04 a.m. 3 COMMISSIONER BRIAN EYOLFSON: Oni (ph), 4 bonjour, good morning. Bonjour. Ullaasakkut. 5 My name's Brian Eyolfson. I'm one of the 6 Commissioners. I am a member of Couchiching First Nation, 7 which is in Treaty 3 territory in Northwestern Ontario, 8 and near the town of Fort Francis, but I live in Toronto. 9 And I'm very, very happy to be with all of 10 you here this morning in Iqaluit. This is my second time 11 here. Last time I was here, I believe it was early 12 February, and it was really cold. So it's really nice to 13 be here and see this beautiful land at a different -- 14 during a different season. And I would like to express my 15 heartfelt appreciation to the Inuit for welcoming us to 16 this beautiful territory. 17 I just want to say a few thank you's to 18 Elisappe for the opening prayer this morning; to Louise, 19 Grandmother Louise, for lighting the Qulliq; and to Micah 20 and Sileema for their welcoming and their very thoughtful 21 words this morning. 22 I'd like to also thank all of our 23 respective Elders and all of our members of the National 24 Family Advisory Circle, and our very special grandmothers 25 and kokums, who have guided us throughout this process. 2 OPENING REMARKS 1 And also, I want to say thank you to our honoured 2 witnesses who are here with us this week sharing their 3 knowledge and expertise with us. 4 So this week we will learn more about 5 how colonial violence has affected the health and wellness 6 of Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit and gender 7 diverse peoples, but we will also hear about resilience in 8 terms of health and well-being, and the knowledge that our 9 communities have an have always had. 10 What we hear this week will also 11 significantly build upon the evidence that we've heard in 12 our other hearings, such as our hearings in Toronto and 13 Calgary earlier this year, concerning the provision of 14 health services to Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQ 15 people. 16 We also heard a great deal about the 17 impact of colonial violence on the health and well-being 18 of family members and survivors during Phase I community 19 hearings, when they shared many difficult truths with us, 20 truths that were very important for all of us to hear. 21 But they also shared many helpful insights and thoughtful 22 recommendations for improving health and wellness in their 23 communities, and thereby, increasing the safety for 24 Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit and gender diverse 25 peoples. And we also clearly saw and heard that many 3 OPENING REMARKS 1 Indigenous women girls and 2SLGBTQ people are resilient 2 and their strength is undeniable. 3 So the evidence we will hear this week will 4 form one more piece of the important puzzle that will help 5 shape the recommendations and solutions that we put 6 forward in the final report. Recommendations that will 7 help end violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 8 2SLGBTQ people and to help keep them safe. 9 I'd also like to emphasize, as we 10 acknowledged in our interim report, the strength and the 11 resilience of many Indigenous women and girls as life 12 givers, as caregivers and as healers, who draw on their 13 own spiritual traditions, knowledge and medicines to help, 14 those people are working miracles even as we speak. 15 We are going to hear about colonial 16 violence this week. I expect we are going to hear about 17 how colonizers and settlers, through their laws, wars and 18 beliefs, hurt Indigenous people spiritually, mentally, 19 physically and emotionally for generations. But, I also 20 expect to hear about tremendous resilience, the enduring 21 will to survive, hope for a better, safer life, safer 22 communities and most of all hope for the future, for 23 regaining our proper positions in our communities. 24 Witnesses, thank you in advance for your lessons. 25 All that we hear this week will go to our 4 OPENING REMARKS 1 recommendations in our final report, because already we 2 know how it is now is not good enough for us and we have 3 to make change. So, welcome everyone, we have got some 4 hard work ahead of us, we will get through it, we will 5 prosper like generations before us, we will come out at 6 the end of this week better than we have started this 7 morning.