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?

Filmmaker Jannica Hoskins brings cultural memory to life with extensive experience filming Canada’s Indigenous peoples.

Since 2006 from September to June Jannica delivers the Aboriginal Education Program to the Elementary Schools in School District 19 Revelstoke, BC.  Having lived on Neskonlith Indian Reserve and with Elders, the lives legends and stories of the Indigenous people are brought to life with their unique message preserved and respected.

Jannica is Oji Cree and Metis ancestry and currently filming the reconnection with long lost relative Jim Poitras in France and Germany summer 2009.

Reconciliation and friendship is what we seek to re-build a better future together. April ended with the opportunities for May flowers to bloom as National Chief Phil Fontaine met with Pope Benedict XVI seeking an apology from the Catholic church for its role in the Indian Residential School saga. The purpose: to discuss the legacy of the Indian residential schools era and the need for reconciliation.

More than 150,000 Aboriginal children were forced into Indian Residential Schools, which were run by the churches on behalf of the federal government. Approximately 75% of them were run by the Catholic churches. In 1993, the Anglican church apologized for its role in the Indian Residential Schools, following suit the United church apologized in 1998 and both these churches contribute to the settlements from the Alternative Dispute Resolution claims for physical and sexual abuse. Now 2009, the Catholic church is the only church that has not issued a formal apology for its role in the Indian Residential Schools and is the only church not to contribute to the settlements from the Alernative Dispute Resolution claims.

To celebrate a positive, collective healing and reconciliation movement within our families, communities, churches and government on May 26th of each year celebrate National Day of Healing and Reconciliation (www.ndhr.ca).

“The task of healing and reconciliation for survivors, Catholics and all Canadians, will be greatly assisted if the Pope formally acknowledges the Indian residential school system and the harms it inflicted on our people.” – Fontaine said in Ottawa on Wednesday (April 2009)

Question: Why do you believe that the government was so interested in aboriginal children?

Dr. Jacqueline Maurice:
“It was both the Federal government and the Provincial government working together, I would definitely say that the Feds as well as the Province saw First Nations communities and families and especially parents as inadequate and unable to parent their own children. Well, I would argue; If you have 100 years of Indian Residential Schools with multiple intergenerational losses and trauma and multiple grief issues, then without a doubt there needed to be an investment of resources to help families to adequately parent their children. But instead I believe the Federal and Provincial governments used that as an excuse to create another policy of assimilation. So then, as we have parents in the 1960’s and 70’s who haven’t been parented themselves and have not grown up with their own family, parents, grandparents and extended family, you have the government coming in to scoop my parents children, myself, and using this created dysfunction as a justification. The Government needs to be the parent. It was definitely the continuation of the policy of assimilation and oppression. We all suffered the loss of culture, language, Identity and our sense of belonging.

Its tragic.. The only reason that I have some knowledge of where I come from is from my own resources. There has been no one that had helped me search out my roots. To know my medical history or next of kin. It takes a lot of inner strength. There has been no Federal or Provincial resource.

My losses are real, what had happened to me, all the abuse over all the foster homes. It feels that I’m left with nothing.

This is why there needs to be an apology and some accountability for the 60’s Scoop, because no child or young adult should have to live without family.”

Nena Lacaille, Executive Director, Enaahitg Healing Lodge:
“In the twelve years that we have run programs hear in Enaatig Healing Lodge, I have to say that the one underlying cause of most of the issues that families are dealing with have to do with self-esteem. And so if we can address the issue of low self-esteem through an awakening of their culture, who they are and their identity this would really help to foster positive self-esteem. This would cut through the other issues that are holding them back from having a good life.”

Steve Beaupre, Aboriginal Liaison, Canadian Mental Health Association:
“For me, I grew up in the 60’s Scoop. Taken at a very early age from my mother. I didn’t know anything of my culture. All I knew was this was my skin colour. I was an Indian. But I didn’t know what that was. So I looked in a grade five history book and it would say that an Indian was a savage. I didn’t want to be a savage. So I didn’t feel good about my self.”

Why do you think there are so many Aboriginal Children in care in British Columbia?

Marie Tonasket – Director Child Welfare (Splatsin) Spallumcheen Indian Band

“In my experience it starts right from the very beginning, from the moment when they meet a social worker. And most typically these workers are non-native, middle class and they don’t share the same values so they see poverty as being a bad thing. And the different levels of poverty they don’t understand. And how a person perceives living in poverty. Because it might just be a way of life so to the family and kids its not a hardship. But for a middle class white person they would see this as unacceptable. Then there is the history of conflict and the lack of trust. So our people don’t necessarily trust social workers. We all remember the history of the 60’s Scoop and how they lost their families there history and their identities.

When I worked for the Ministry I loved being an aboriginal women, going to the door and saying who I was, and then getting let into the house. Having a conversation and talking with them at an equal level. This was huge for me. Many times native families shut down when your typical social worker stops by. They ether become very powerless or very defiant. And if they become defiant, they may hurt the social workers feeling, and then the social worker decides that they definitely need services. Once a social worker decides to dig, well the more you dig the more reasons you can find for having that child in removed into care.

Families are assessed through a Risk Assessment document. And one of the criteria that is reviewed is the history of the parents. In our community the history of our parents is abuse, abuse, trauma, trauma, trauma. And those are things that you have no control over. So the social worker uses this as a negative, rather then setting this aside and recognizing what they have done to overcome these barriers.”

For more on Marie and other front line workers and survivors of the 60′s Scoop and Indian Residential Schools, keep following our Blog.
Randy