Ottawa is delaying justice on First Nations child welfare, causing further harm – Welland Tribune
Oct. 15, 2021
In September, the Federal Court dismissed Canada’s appeals of two Canadian Human Rights Tribunal orders providing public services to all First Nations children off reserve via Jordan’s Principle, and compensating tens of thousands of First Nations families who were separated due to Canada’s discriminatory child welfare system. First Nations parents are more likely to be accused of maltreatment. First Nations children are 14 times more likely to be separated from their families and put into foster care than other children.
The key factors driving First Nations children into care are sourced in federal public policy. The federal government ran the residential schools, created multi-generational trauma and devastated First Nations families and communities. The schools robbed First Nations of their cultural and community supports for family functioning, and yet the government funds public services for First Nations children at lower levels, creating a perfect storm of heightened trauma without the resources to deal with it.
