Health Canada to Offer DNA Testing for First Nation Where Babies Switched at Birth

Health Canada is offering DNA testing to the residents of a First Nation in Manitoba who worry they, too, may have been switched at birth decades ago.

The residents of Norway House Cree Nation, which is approximately 800 kilometres north of Winnipeg, have a lot of questions after it was revealed from DNA testing that two men from the area, David Tait Jr. and Leon Swanson, were sent home with the wrong families by the government-run Norway House Hospital in 1975. The revelation comes a year after two men from Garden Hill First Nation—Luke Monias and Norman Barkman—found out they were also switched at the same hospital in 1975. Norway House chief Ron Evans says Health Canada's offer is a welcome one. "If there's any more people out here that may question their own history, it's a good opportunity to take up the offer," Evans says. "It's something that happened 40 years ago. Whatever efforts can be introduced to come up with answers and do away with people's concerns they may have, it's a good start," he added. No one from the community has come forward as of yet to request DNA testing done, but the offer was only made recently. Chief Evans has been in office for 20 years. He says most of the healthcare workers who worked at Norway House Hospital at the time have long since passed. In a statement, Health Canada said officials have been looking into the policies and procedures which were in place at Norway House Hospital at the time since the first case came to light in November. "Health Canada is taking this situation very seriously and as such will be taking immediate steps to hire a credible, independent third-party to conduct a full review of documents," the statement said. The agency stressed that the practices undertaken by hospitals to ensure the identification of newborn children have been improved since the 1970s. It promised to make the findings public. This comes after Eric Robinson, Manitoba's former aboriginal affairs minister, told The Canadian Press the entire situation was "disgraceful" and "troubling," and alleged the cases had been swept under the rug by health officials. In a separate interview with CP, Robinson wondered just how many more people had been affected by the mix-ups and may not know it yet. According to Robinson, Tait and Swanson were born days apart. "How can they make that kind of mistake?" he asked. The DNA testing will be available to anyone who was born at the hospital prior to 1980, when identification bands were immediately applied to children following birth. Norway House Hospital no longer handles births, except in emergency situations. The DNA tests usually cost $750 but will be free of charge in this case. Anyone who believes they may have been affected and wishes to be tested should contact their regional office or a local healthcare provider, who will then make arrangements with Health Canada. With files from The Canadian Press Follow Creeden Martell on Twitter.