Hello. My name is Charlie Flowers. I'm from Rigolet, Nunatsiavut
in northern Newfoundland and
Labrador. It's an honour to be reading to
you from the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission's report
and I'd like to thank Joey, Zoe, and
Erica
for making this project possible.
Delivery of child-welfare services.
there are over 300 child-welfare
agencies in Canada
operating under provincial and
territorial jurisdiction.
In addition, Canada provides funding to over 100 agencies
delivering child and family services to
First Nations families
under the framework of provincial
legislation. In 2011
2010 and 2011 there were 9,241 First Nations children
outside the parental home and in the
care these First Nations
child and family service agencies,
representing 5.5% of
on-reserve children. A few larger
Canadian cities (such as Toronto and
Vancouver)
also have Aboriginal child and family
service agencies.
In Manitoba, there is also an agency
serving
Métis families. There are, however, no
Aboriginally
controlled agencies in the three
northern territories;
child-welfare services to Aboriginal
families there
are provided through the same government
agencies that serve all children.
In two out of the three territories, Aboriginal people make up a majority
of the members in their legislatures
and cabinets.
Although the federal government
acknowledges its responsibility for
child-welfare
services to First Nations families, Métis
communities are not well served.
The Commission believes that adequately
funded,
Métis-specific, child and family services
must be made available to Métis children
and families. The Government of Canada
should not let
unresolved jurisdictional disputes stand
in the way
of the acceptance of such responsibilities.
Similarly,
the Commission believes the Government
of Canada should ensure
the development of adequately resourced
Inuit child-welfare services in the
North
and in urban centres such as Ottawa and
Montreal that
have a significant Inuit
population.
