Thunder Bay

First Nations student deaths inquest: lawyer reflects on week one

The lawyer for the First Nations families whose children died while attending school in Thunder Bay says she hopes week two of the inquest goes more smoothly.
Christa Big Canoe is a lawyer representing six of the seven families at the inquest into the deaths of seven First Nations students in Thunder Bay. (Martine Laberge/CBC)

The lawyer for the First Nations families whose children died while attending school in Thunder Bay says she hopes week two of the inquest goes more smoothly.

Christa Big Canoe represents six of the seven families of the students whose deaths are the subject of the inquest. All of the young people came to the city from remote First Nations to attend high school.

Big Canoe says the families have hundreds of questions and were disappointed last week's testimony began with autopsy reports.

"And to jump to what the medical finding was is almost the opposite of the way we understand telling stories or coming to truth," she said.

In the first week testimony from the forensic pathologist and a toxicologist dealt with medical and toxicology reports about the cause of death of each of the students. The inquest also heard from Maryanne Panacheese about the death of her son, Paul, in 2006.

The inquest resumed Tuesday and is scheduled through to March.

Listen to more of what Big Canoe had to say on CBC Thunder Bay's Superior Morning radio program here.

We hear from the lawyer representing six of seven families at the inquest into the deaths of seven First Nations students provides insight into the first week of testimony