Fallen Feather Productions

The federal government of Canada is being accused of “Identity Genocide of Children Targeted at Indian families and communities in Ontario”. The accusation is part of a class action lawsuit on behalf of at least sixteen thousand Aboriginal people who, as children, were either adopted or put in foster homes and “were systemically denied the opportunity to preserve their identity”. The lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of Ontario in February also accuses Canada of “breach of its non-delegable fiduciary obligation, duty of care and protection of aboriginal rights”. The suit seeks damages of $85,000 for each claimant – $1.36 Billion.

In 1965 the “Canada-Ontario Welfare Agreement” was created, Canada delegated provision of child welfare services to Ontario. Aboriginal people just gained the authority to vote around this time. Upon signing the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in December 1948, Canada’s government was forced to re-examine its treatment of natives in Canada. Voting rights were extended in 1960, and Aboriginal civil rights became an ongoing concern in the 1970s.

Today, in the term of Stephen Harpers leadership of Canada the refusal to sign in support of the United Nations Rights of Indigenous Peoples is still a roadblock to healing for Canadians. Moreover without being afforded meaningful and inclusive Aboriginal Education in the schools we run the threat of making judicial mistakes within our society.

Do you think you should have the right to choose what you should know about your own ancestry?