“Trafficking and torture of children by the “Child Protective Services across Canada” have serious psychological consequences in children and parents”
Child abduction and torture are a strategic means of limiting, controlling and suppressing the basic human rights of disadvantaged families, crimes that are often covered up and denied by corrupt family and criminal courts. The deliberate infliction of pain and suffering, intimidation, alienation, coercion of children to obtain false information or confession under duress are crimes against humanity.
Ontario Children's Aid Societies working to avoid
repeat of Sixties Scoop
Indigenous
children still overrepresented in the child welfare system in Ontario
Trafficking
and torture of children by the Children’s Aid Societies
Barbara MacKinnon, executive
director of the Ottawa Children's Aid Society, said her organization works with
Indigenous partners to make sure children get care in their communities and
keep their culture. (Matthew Kupfer/CBC)
Ontario Children's Aid Societies
have outlined commitments to guide their policies to avoid repeating the
mistakes of the Sixties Scoop, but admit there is still significant work ahead.
The Canadian government has reached an agreement in
principle worth $800 million with survivors, Crown-Indigenous
Relations and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett announced Friday
morning.
The settlement applies to
status First Nations and Inuit survivors across Canada.
The policy, which was in effect in
the mid-1960s to early 1980s, removed thousands of Indigenous children from
their families and placed them in non-Indigenous homes. It led to a loss of
culture, language and severing of family bonds.
- Canada announces $800M settlement with Sixties Scoop survivors
- Ottawa Sixties Scoop survivors call settlement 'a small step'
Barbara MacKinnon, executive
director of the Ottawa Children's Aid Society, said the acknowledgement of
problems with the system is an important part of changing for the better.
"Without admitting that things
have gone wrong, that the wrong approaches were used, that families were
destroyed and a culture was impacted, it's hard to put the changes that are
required in place," MacKinnon said.
She said the Sixties Scoop and the
ongoing overrepresentation of Indigenous children in the child welfare system
have made it hard to build trust with the Indigenous community.
"It is very understandable why
there would be doubt that we are committed to the change," she said.
The Ottawa Children's Aid Society
has a space called 'The Lodge,' which includes materials reflecting Indigenous
culture and a space for ceremony. (Matthew Kupfer/CBC)
MacKinnon said the Ottawa
Children's Aid Society partners with local Indigenous organizations to try to
avoid removing children from their families.
Those organizations, such as Wabano
and Minwaashin Lodge, need more resources so they can provide families the
services they need to avoid the child welfare system, according to MacKinnon.
The federal government still hasn't complied with a ruling from the
Canadian Human Rights Tribunal forcing it to fund child and family services equally
on First Nations reserves.
Overrepresentation
still a problem
In Ontario, Indigenous children were
12 times more likely to be identified as foster children than non-Indigenous
children, according to the Residential Services Panel Review from 2016.
The Ontario Association of
Children's Aid Societies has outlined a number of commitments to advance the
cause of reconciliation.
They include reducing the
number of Indigenous children in care, moving files out of court, trying
to keep children in their communities and providing resources for
communities to care for youth.
- Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies apologizes for Sixties Scoop
- Indigenous children lose cultural connection in child welfare system
Karen Hill, director of Indigenous
services for the association, said some of the transformation will require a
change in the laws governing child welfare.
"It's going to take a lot of
courage, it's going to take innovation and creativity and it's going to take
strong partnership from [the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services],"
she said.
"In the
interim — it's not going to happen overnight — you're still
going to see Indigenous kids involved with non-Indigenous agencies."
Chief Marcia Brown Martel, the lead
plaintiff in Ontario's Sixties Scoop lawsuit, stands next to Crown-Indigenous
Relations and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett at the announcement of
a compensation package for survivors. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Earlier this week, the Ontario
Association of Children's Aid Societies issued a formal apology for the damage
done to survivors of the Sixties Scoop.
The event included an appearance by
Marcia Brown Martel, the lead plaintiff in the successful Ontario class action
for Sixties Scoop survivors, and her lawyer Jeffrey Wilson.
'We
can start the journey back'
Hill said Martel and Wilson called
for agencies to help people find out if they qualify for the benefit by using
their archives.
"One of the worst aspects of
the Sixties Scoop is these Indigenous kids were adopted not only in Canada, but
in the United States, in Europe, really all over the world," she said
Thursday.
Hill is herself Mohawk from the Six
Nations on the Grand River and said her family didn't experience the scoop or
residential schools.
She said combing through
records may help identify people, but the task of reconnecting people with
their culture and language is immense.
"It's a tall order, I don't
know that we could do that, but we can start that journey back."
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