Bill 79 and the search for truth for missing or deceased indigenous children: Implications for paediatricians and the duty of memory

Abstract Adopted in 2021, Quebec's Bill 79 authorizes the disclosure of personal information to Indigenous families whose children disappeared or died following admission to a health care facility between the 1950s and 1980s. The legislation aims to address the longstanding pain of families who were denied information for decades. This article presents the historical context of the law, medical findings drawn from reviewed case files, the role of health care professionals, and the memory work undertaken by the Indigenous organization Awacak as part of a broader process of truth-seeking, healing, and transmission.