Bill C-92 is the legislation going through parliament right now to move child welfare services for First Nations children back to the control of those First Nations communities.
I’m a little bit on the fence line about this for two reasons.
One, the bill doesn’t have any funding in it to allow for it to be implemented; Which is just setting it up to fail. Funding should be set aside for services to families in need so they don’t reach the point where their kids are apprehended. Secondly funding is needed for services that would help families reconnect.
Currently it should be noted that that parents only have access to services only after their children have been apprehended. Then it’s an uphill battle to get them back.
The second issue I have with the new bill is it still lacks any provisions to prevent abuse of process.
If children are taken by the government the parent still has to go through the court system to get them back. This costs time and money that people simply don’t have.
There needs to be an ombudsman that they can easily access... an individual independent of the system with the powers of a judge who can rule on the cases at hand. Free of charge
Yes. It means money to employ that person and chances are every single case will go through him or her for review. But it will end children being taking away for reasons as dumb as “the parents grandmother was in social services so the great grandchild should be apprehended.”
Or a case up northern bc where a mother was suspected of being drunk so services where called on her when she gave birth. Not being drunk she could’ve just used the ombudsman to have her child quickly returned
I’ve no idea why the government wants the new bill to fail after becoming law... makes it easier for them to say they tried and to keep the status quo?
That said. Anybody feel like writing their member of parliament and asking the lawmakers to add funding? They might listen.
