The postponement of the visit is not only a disappointment, but one more delay in taking into account very real systemic problems
said Linda Debassige, a great head of the Anishnabek nation.
Ms. Debassige, which represents 39 First Nations in Ontario, wrote in August 2024 to the UN working group on forced or involuntary disappearances to invite her to come to Canada and draw international attention to this file.
The disappearances of these children constitute a permanent question of human rights, affecting families and communities
said his letter.
But what the chief was unaware was that the group had already asked to visit Canada – a request made in February 2024 – and that Ottawa had given its agreement on October 24, 2024, according to the UN website. The scheduled visit period extends between June 2025 and June 2026.
This would represent enormously
For many people, adds Debassige.
It’s not just about me; It is about survivors and their families
she said. It is only recently that the truth began to emerge.
Linda Debassige, a large head of the Anishnabek nation. (Archives photo)
Photo: With the permission of anishinabeknews.ca
The president of the working group told indigenous CBC that the visit is suspended, because the UN had to reduce the number of missions it can carry out in the countries.
The visit is probably not soon, mainly because of the general liquidity crisis at the UN
wrote in an email Gabriella Citroni, professor of international human rights law at the University of Milano-Bicocca.
The UN exposed its growing financial crisis
In May 2025, mentioning in particular a deficit of $ 2.4 billion in unpaid contributions by its Member States. The main official is the United States, which owes around 1.5 billion dollars and has suspended its payments within the framework of budgetary discounts.
An expected visit
Steve Lands, coordinator of the WiiKwogaming Tinahtiiwin project, initiated by the First Nation of Grassy Narrows to investigate the former McIntosh boarding school, in northwestern Ontario, believes that it would be important for the UN group to visit places like this to see their own eyes.
It was very exciting for us to learn that the UN would come, because the UN has a lot of weight
said Lands, himself surviving the establishment of McIntosh.
I think the whole team would be favorable to the UN to visit McIntosh.
Last year, the project located 114 unmarked burial sites in the field, 106 of which are in the historic cemetery. We know that 166 people are buried there, so the research continues, explained Aaron Mior, technical manager of the project.
I think it is a good thing that an independent organization comes to give its opinion and its perspective on what it observes, in comparison with other atrocities or similar situations in the world
he said.
The Aboriginal boarding school of McIntosh, located in the Kenora district, in northwestern Ontario, was founded in 1925 by Catholic missionaries.
Photo: Archives of the Historical Society of Saint-Boniface, General collection of the SHSB, SHSB 1424
Discreet ottawa on the visit
Kimberly Murray, former special federal interlocutor on missing children and unmarked tombs in boarding schools, submitted its final report in October 2024, just a few days after Canada accepted the request of the UN working group.
However, Ms. Murray affirms that federal officials never told her about this possible visit, even if she argued that these children had been victims of the state forced by the State, which would constitute a crime against humanity.
They never mentioned anything on this subject when closing, when the Minister of Justice spoke
said Kimberly Murray, law professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
She also met ministers a month after submitting her final report, but there is no mention of this visit either. Ms. Murray thinks she was held away to prevent the subject from making too much noise.
I think they want to keep this discreet, that they do not want the public and the indigenous communities to know that the working group wishes to come to Canada investigate possible forced disappearances
she said.
In a statement, World Affairs Canada recalled that the country has maintained a permanent invitation for the UN special procedures since 1999.
Canada welcomes the opportunities for dialogue that can help us better implement our human rights obligations
wrote the spokesperson Dina Destin.
Gabriella Citroni, the president of the working group, said that Canada will be informed of the subjects to be treated and places to visit once planning has reached a more concrete stadium, which is not possible for the moment.
However, she added that it would be reasonable to consider that, if the group visits the country, the missing children linked to the boarding school would be a subject of interest, citing attention that other UN entities have already paid similar questions.
She notably mentioned an allegation letter sent to Canada in 2021, which expressed concerns concerning the lack of progress in the implementation of the final report of the national women and girls who have disappeared and murdered.
According to a text by Brett Forester, of indigenous CBC