WARNING: This story contains distressing details.
The family of Haven Dubois is marching to the country’s capital on a mission.
Haven Dubois, 14, drowned in the Pilot Butte Creek, on the east end of Regina, during a school day in 2015. A coroner’s report found his death to be accidental and listed marijuana use as a contributing factor.
On Tuesday, which would have marked Haven’s 23rd birthday, his family set off on foot for Ottawa, where they will call for a national inquiry into missing, murdered and neglected Indigenous boys, men and two-spirit people.
“The time has come. It’s far gone for an inquiry,” family spokesperson Robyn Pitawanakwat said during a media event Tuesday morning.
“It’s not enough just to look at Saskatchewan or Regina. It has to be across the country. Indigenous men and boys and two-spirit people are incredibly vulnerable in our systems and in the world. As long as we continue to ignore it, it’s just going to [worsen].”
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls took more than three years to complete, from the pre-inquiry process that started in December 2015 to the conclusion in June 2019.
The final reportpublished June 3, 2019, listed 231 calls for justice, many of which were directed toward government institutions. The federal government has since created a national action plan and reports annually on its progress in addressing the calls to justice.
The Dubois family is calling for others to form their own marches and meet them in Ottawa, to push for the national inquiry in greater numbers, Pitawanakwat said.
Supporters along the family’s route are welcome to join during the daytime, but the family has asked for them not to tent with them overnight, she added.
The journey from Regina is estimated to take about two months, depending on factors like weather and traffic, she said.
Dubois family member Avery Snell said the march will end at the headquarters of the Assembly of First Nations, a national organization that represents First Nations people across the country.
The goal, Snell said, is to press the need to hold health authorities accountable for their treatment of Indigenous people.
“Nobody should ever have to worry about getting proper care in the hands of health-care professionals, as well as no one should ever have to watch their loved ones suffer while they are at their most vulnerable,” she said.
“Our family has watched the health system fail and the outcomes become tragic.”
Pasqua First Nation Chief Todd Peigan and Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations grand Chief Bobby Cameron, whose organization represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan, attended Tuesday’s event and expressed their respective support.
“There are thousands who are going through the same situation — not knowing where your loved one is, you don’t have that closure, you don’t have a proper burial, the list goes on and on,” Cameron said.
“No mother should ever have to go through that.”
Sask. Coroners Service to launch inquest
The Dubois family has spent years advocating for further investigation into what happened to Haven, including a months-long camp outside the Saskatchewan Legislature in 2018.
Now they’ll get it.
Saskatchewan’s Chief coroner Clive Weighill met with Richelle Dubois, Haven’s mother, and her advocates last month. He reviewed the file and decided to hold an inquest, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson told CBC News.
Weighill informed Dubois last week that an inquest would be occur, the spokesperson said.
The family was told it would start next year, Pitawanakwat said.
The Regina Police Service ruled out foul play during its initial investigation, but the family has held concerns that Haven was experiencing gang intimidation and was bullied at school for months prior to his death.
If you or someone you know needs immediate emotional assistance, call 1-844-413-6649. This is a national, toll-free 24/7 crisis call line providing support for anyone who requires emotional assistance related to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
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