Indigenous Child & Family Services Directors News Special Issue

National Day for Truth & Reconciliation September 30, 2021

Those decades of work have brought us to a place of hope. Under the new federal legislation, several of our Nations are preparing to resume their rightful places in the affairs of their children and families.

With the support of First Nations Child & Family Caring Society and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, our Indigenous Child & Family Services Agencies now have federal funding to provide the prevention services our families and communities need.

This has improved our relationships with our federal partners. Our relationships with our provincial partners have also improved, with the province expressing a willingness to address some of our longstanding needs, including consideration of an Indigenous Child & Family Services Act and the creation of a Provincial Indigenous Director position.

The gap between where we are and where we need to be remains wide, and our children and families suffer the consequences. There is an urgent need to fund prevention services for families residing off-reserve and to address the crisis child & youth mental health.

When we meet with our federal and provincial partners, we find an increasing willingness to share their energy, their spirit, and their minds to support the rebuilding of our Nations.

And yet, Canada and BC continue to resist their obligations to Indigenous children, youth and families. This should not be forgotten as Canadians observe the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation.



Indigenous Child & Family Services Directors Executive

“We called the film For Love because as First Nations, everything we do is for the love of the children and survival of our Nations,” said Mary Teegee.

“In this film we meet the survivors of residential schools and their descendants and come to understand how the sickness of colonialism continues to underpin the child welfare industry. We also meet the brave children and caregivers who are disrupting the cycle and reclaiming their power.”

The premiere will be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre, and will be witnessed by children in care, caregivers and frontline service providers.

“This film is a love letter to Indigenous children and youth and the families and caregivers who raise them,” said Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director of the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada. 

“It curates and presents the wisdom and teachings of First Nations from across Canada as a forceful argument for change.”

For Love is written and produced by Mary Teegee and Matt Smiley, narrated by Shania Twain and executive produced by Cindy Blackstock and Warner Adam. Matt Smiley directs. The film was made possible through contributions from Indigenous Services Canada.

Watch: For Love Trailer

Read Variety Magazine: Shania Twain Narrates Canadian Indigenous Children Documentary ‘For Love’

Breaking News

September 29, 2021

Unceded Territory of the Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.

A huge win for children

On the eve of the first National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, the Federal Court has ruled in favour of First Nations children and families and against Canada’s efforts to quash the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal’s orders.

The CHRT determined that Canada’s “willful and reckless” discrimination against First Nations children contributed to children being removed unnecessarily from their families and, in some cases, to the deaths of children. The CHRT subsequently awarded up to $40,000 in compensation for victims of this discrimination.

The CHRT also ordered Canada to ensure that all First Nations children who are recognized by their Nations are eligible for services under Jordan’s Principle, regardless of their Indian Act status.

Canada applied for a judicial review of both the compensation and the Jordan’s Principle eligibility orders. Today, the Federal Court dismissed Canada’s application.

The Indigenous Child and Family Services Directors welcome the federal court decision and call upon Canada to stop wasting time and resources in court.

“Canada needs to go beyond orange shirts and take meaningful action toward reconciliation. Compensating the children and families who were harmed by Canada’s racist funding policies is an important step in that direction,” says Mary Teegee, Chair of the Indigenous Child and Family Services Directors.