FIRST NATIONS GAIN JURISDICTION OVER THEIR FAMILIES WITH NEW BILL

It brings an end to events that have been going on for decades.

The BC First Nations Leadership Council announced today the introduction of Bill C-92, an Act representing First nations, Inuits and Metis children, youth, and families.

A critical aspect of the newly announced legislation is its development between federal and Indigenous partners, affirming Indigenous peoples’ inherent right to exercise jurisdiction over child and family services.

“For literally decades, the jurisdiction had gone down to the provincial government. Particularly, the Ministry of Child and Family Development would come into our communities,” BC Regional Chief Terry Teegee told My PG Now. “A lot of our children were caught in the system, either foster care or placed somewhere else outside of the community. What we’re seeing with this bill is that this will sever the tie with the province, and we’ll take over the jurisdiction and make sure that our children are getting the care that they need from our communities, and drawn from our laws.”

British Columbia’s flawed system of services to provide children with support, including children with complex needs, was recently exposed in December 2018 in the report Alone and Afraid: Lessons learned from the ordeal of a child with special needs and his family.

“We are pleased with today’s introduction of Bill C-92. This legislation will greatly assist in our collective efforts to address the terrible legacy of residential schools and the systematic removal of children from our communities,” said Cheryl Casimer of the First Nations Summit Political Executive in a release. “This is arguably one of the most important pieces of legislation for Indigenous peoples in a generation.”

Bill C-92 will provide the impetus to make the changes that have been repeatedly called for by the First Nations’ leaders.