Quebec study confirms practice of forced sterilizations of Indigenous women

A report released Thursday confirms 22 cases of forced sterilization of First Nations and Inuit women in Quebec since 1980 and calls for the practice to end.

The study says that several participants did not realize they had been sterilized until years after the procedure when they sought treatment for fertility issues.

The majority of the participants did not sign a form consenting to sterilization, and those who did said the information they received from medical staff was not clear about the procedure’s impact on their ability to have children.

READ MORE: ‘A big injustice’: Research group collecting testimonies of forced sterilization of Indigenous women

The report says the most recent example of imposed sterilization was in 2019 and concludes there is an “obvious presence” of systemic racism in Quebec.

“A lot of people were asking, you know, were you surprised with the results and the findings? And. My answer is no. I think it’s a confirmation of what we thought existed before and that was going on. And it was affecting a lot of women,” said Marjolaine Sioui, director general of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission.

The majority of research participants say they were sterilized between the ages of 17 and 33.

“It’s not a surprise. We know these things happen. It’s sort of like the mass graves when that happened. If you look at the truth and reconciliation report, you know, you’ll have people who have come up and mentioned this before,” explained Nakuset, director of Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal & co-manager of Resilience Montreal.

“So it is not a surprise. I think that when we hear about, you know, the different levels of systemic racism being in all the fields, it is an ongoing issue.”

Nakuset adding, “It’s injustice on so many levels. And, you know, it’s good that this report comes out, but I think that more investigations need to be done across Canada.”

The study calls on the Quebec College of Physicians to immediately end the practice and also demands action from the provincial and federal governments.

In a statement to CityNews, the Quebec College of Physicians: “We note with interest the recommendations contained in this report. We take this opportunity to publicly reiterate that no medical examination or intervention, whether or not required by the person’s health condition, can be performed without the free and informed consent of that person.

“As we did last year following a media report on non-consensual sterilizations, we will again remind doctors about free and informed consent. Women must never again undergo this procedure without prior consent.”

The Quebec Health Minister’s office and the Indigenous Affairs Minister’s office told CityNews in a statement, “The facts alleged in the report are completely unacceptable! We will do the necessary verifications to shed light on the situation. We are talking about fairly recent cases, which would have happened as recently as 2019.”

The statement continued saying, “It is an EVIDENCE: in the middle of childbirth, this is not the time to make such major and especially irreversible decisions. Let’s be clear: this kind of decision is nobody’s business but the woman’s. It is not her doctor’s decision!

“The Collège des médecins has called its members to order to put an end to these inhumane practices. We will obviously take the time to consult the report in detail. This type of situation reminds us of the urgency of providing Aboriginal people with access to culturally appropriate health care and services in a safe environment. This is non-negotiable. We are committed to enshrining the principle of cultural safety in the Act respecting health services and social services (LSSS).”

The study by researchers at Universite du Quebec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue, jointly produced with the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission, is the first in Quebec to document the forced sterilization of First Nations and Inuit women.