Cases stuck in limbo, detainees pleading guilty over justice system delays in northern Quebec
Nunavik’s travelling court cancelled in-person fall dates over lack of accommodation
It’s been nine months since Andrew Naluktuk was home or saw his family following a police-involved shooting in northern Quebec that led to the death of his six-year-old daughter.
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that → stick → daughter
Since then, he’s been waiting — in detention — about 1,000 kilometres away from his family in Inukjuak.
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he → wait → Inukjuak
His court date was supposed to be in August.
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date → suppose → August
But August became September — and September’s date was pushed to December.
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date → become → December
Exceptionally, his lawyer pushed for an online court date scheduled for this Thursday, according to a family spokesperson.
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lawyer → push → spokesperson
The delays come after Nunavik's travelling court — which serves several fly-in northern communities on rotation — cancelled in-person court dates this fall in Inukjuak and Puvirnituq.
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which → come → Inukjuak
It’s primarily due to the lack of necessary accommodation for those involved in the cases, says lawyer Lucie Demers, the executive assistant to the Court of Quebec Chief Judge Henri Richard.
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Demers → ’ → Richard
While the Court of Quebec, which operates the travelling court, was unable to confirm how many cases are affected by this delay, activities should “in principle��” resume in January 2027, said Demers in an emailed statement to CBC News.
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Demers → operate → News
But advocates say the long wait is leading some to opt for a guilty plea and impacting the accused’s right to be tried in a reasonable time.
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wait → say → time
“There's something wrong here,” said Sarah Ruptash, Naluktuk’s aunt, who is speaking out on behalf of his family.
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who → be → family
“It does not help a person heal while being held in the cell.
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person → help → cell
Naluktuk is facing charges for weapons possession, assault, assault of a peace officer, and unlawfully causing bodily harm to a child.
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Naluktuk → face → child
He is also facing charges for discharging a firearm with intent, pointing a firearm and possession contrary to order.
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He → face → order
‘It's been so long,’ says family member
It’s difficult for Ruptash to talk about the last time she saw her nephew and his daughter.
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she → say → nephew
Following the incident, the two were sent to the local health centre in Inukjuak before getting transferred south to hospitals for further medical treatment.
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two → follow → treatment
“I broke down,” recalled Ruptash.
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Ruptash → break → ?
“I couldn't sleep afterwards.
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I → sleep → ?
According to a statement released by Quebec’s police watchdog, officers with the Nunavik Police Service were called to a home in the early morning of Dec. 20, 2025, following reports of a person who posed a danger to other occupants.
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who → accord → occupants
Police officers arrived on the scene, encountered a person with a firearm outside the residence and an exchange of gunfire reportedly ensued.
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exchange → arrive → gunfire
According to the statement, an individual was injured in the intervention, arrested and taken to hospital in stable condition while another person was reportedly found seriously injured inside the home and was later transported to hospital.
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person → accord → hospital
Ten days after the incident, the BEI confirmed the seriously injured person – identified as the six-year-old girl by local authorities – had died.
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person → confirm → authorities
Ruptash says this whole ordeal has been very hard on the family and on her nephew.
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ordeal → say → nephew
She was particularly disheartened when he was denied bail in April.
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he → deny → April
“It was heartbreaking enough for him to lose his daughter,” she said.
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she → lose → daughter
“He calls me once in a while.
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He → call → while
I tried to let him know that the time will come when he'll be released, but it's been so long.”
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it → try → ?
Some suspects pleading guilty due to delays
Detention is hard on anyone, says lawyer Virginie Dallaire, but especially for Inuit — who are flown out of their communities and held in facilities in Amos or Saint-Jérôme, Que., hundreds of kilometres from home, family and resources.
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who → plead → home
“Any period of detention is much harsher,” said Dallaire, a defence lawyer with Yves Ménard Avocats, who takes on cases in northern communities, mainly on the Hudson Bay coast.
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who → say → coast
“But now, with that unknown and having to wait months and months… it’s just extremely difficult.
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it → have → unknown
Current delays for the fall dates are leading some of Dallaire’s clients to change their pleas — to guilty, she says.
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she → lead → pleas
“A lot of them that had initially asked for trial contacted us saying, ‘I'm not going to wait [until] 2027.
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I → ask → 2027
I want a deal,’” she said.
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she → want → deal
The Court of Quebec noted it has adopted a declaration and a reconciliation action plan to make justice among Indigenous people a priority, “notably that which concerns activities of the travelling court,” read its statement.
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statement → note → court
To reduce the impact of this situation, the court says it has put in place various measures, including progressing cases and in some circumstances, not requiring in-person sessions.
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it → reduce → sessions
It says it has also met with representatives and mayors of villages to come up with solutions.
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it → say → solutions
But Suzy Kauki, a justice advocate in Nunavik, says things keep changing without the communities’ knowledge.
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things → say → knowledge
“Here we go again,” she said.
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she → go → ?
“More changes being made for the community without the community.”
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changes → make → community
Kauki, who previously worked in suicide prevention, began studying the justice system in Nunavik.
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who → work → Nunavik
The way things are — with all the postponements and the cancellations — she says some can feel forced to plead guilty “without really understanding what pleading guilty is going to mean 10 years from now,” she said.
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she → say → what
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
