Federal government, B.C. and Indigenous nation sign care co-ordination deal
The delivery of child and family services grounded in Indigenous culture and community was celebrated Friday in British Columbia's north Okanagan with the signing of the province's first care co-ordination services agreement.
Indigenous children thrive when they can stay with their families and communities and are surrounded by their culture and language, federal Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu said in an interview after the ceremony.
The agreement between the federal, B.C. and Secwepemc Nation governments provides the legal framework and funding for the co-ordinated care services, she said.
“This is an exciting time in the history of our country and the history of the First Nations that are doing this work,” said Hajdu.
The minister said governments over the next 10 years will transfer $136.2 million to the Enderby-area Splatsin First Nation to support and continue their long-standing dedication and work on family and child services.
“This community now has the legal co-ordination of care agreement between B.C., the federal government and the community itself to reassert the rights of Splatsin people to have self-determination over the care of their children and families,” Hajdu said.
The agreement, which is the first of its kind in B.C. and the fifth in Canada, addresses the delivery of emergency services, mechanisms for First Nations children to exercise their rights and sustainable and consistent needs-based funding, she said.
“This is a community that has actually by and large been doing this but with a lot of interference from colonial systems that have made it difficult for Splatsin to keep kids connected to their communities,” Hajdu said.
Splatsin Chief Doug Thomas said in a statement that the agreement continues the responsibility of every nation member to care for children past, present and into the future.
“This high level of responsibility for our children falls not just on the shoulders of leadership, but every Splatsin community member,” he said. “It takes a community to raise a child and at Splatsin we do our best to live by those words.”
Hajdu said the agreement will ensure Splatsin children stay in the communities and remain connected with their culture.
It specifies “how things should unfold to support families to stay well and also to support families that are struggling,” she said.
Mitzi Dean, B.C.'s minister of children and family development, said in a statement the Splatsin have been working for decades to ensure their children and families remain connected to their culture and communities despite the constraints of the child welfare system.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.