Canada apologizes to Inuit for mistreatment during TB epidemics
On March 9, 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on behalf of the government, issued a long-overdue apology for mistreatment of Canada’s Inuit community during tuberculosis outbreaks in the past.
Between the 1940s and late 1960s, Inuit suffering from tuberculosis were taken to hospitals in southern Canada for treatment. Many of those who died in the hospitals were buried locally in unmarked graves, rather than having their remains returned home. Very often, Inuit families never learned what had become of their loved ones.
As part of its apology, the federal government is planning to release database information to help the Inuit locate gravesites of family members who were taken to southern Canada for treatment.
However, Inuit communities are still plagued by tuberculosis–and at a rate of infection which far exceeds that in the south of the country. Here’s a CBC News report with more detail: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/cbc-explains-tuberculosis-banerji-tb-1.5046336