Summer 2017
@Caringsociety CaringSociety fncaringsociety
Legal Team Wins Award
for Work on Behalf of
First Nations Children
Congratulations to Sarah Clarke, Sébastien Grammond, Anne Levesque
and David Taylor for winning the 2017 Ontario Bar Association President’s
Award! This award recognizes their hard work and
significant contribution to the advancement of justice
for their role as pro bono counsel for the First Nations
Child & Family Caring Society in the First Nations child
welfare case.
Spirit Bear poses with the 2017
OBA President’s Award, which was
presented to the Caring Society’s
legal team on April 26, 2017.
In 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal found
that the Canadian government is racially discriminating
against 163,000 First Nations children and their families
by providing flawed and inequitable child welfare
services and failing to implement Jordan’s Principle. The
Tribunal has since issued three non-compliance orders.
To learn more visit www.fnwitness.ca
From left to right: Sarah Clarke, Sébastien Grammond,
Anne Levesque, David Sterns (OBA President), David Taylor
and Spirit Bear at the 2017 OBA Annual Award Gala.
CHRT Issues THIRD Compliance Order
on Jordan’s Principle
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has issued a third compliance order finding
Canada’s approach to Jordan’s Principle to be unlawful and discriminatory.
In a decision released on May 26, 2017, the Tribunal concluded that little
has changed since its January 2016 ruling that found Canada to be racially
discriminating against First Nations children. This has resulted in unnecessary
and unlawful bureaucratic delays, gaps and denial of essential public services to
First Nations children. It should not take four Tribunal orders and counting to get
Canada to treat First Nations children lawfully and equitably. To read the latest ruling or
learn more about the human rights case, visit www.fnwitness.ca
Bear Witness Day
Trending on Social Media
On May 10, 2017, in an extraordinary show of support for Jordan’s
Principle, people from all over brought their teddy bears to daycare,
school, and work to participate in Bear Witness Day. This annual event
encourages individuals to take photos of their bears and post them on
social media using #JordansPrinciple and #Waiting4UCanada.
By mid-morning, #JordansPrinciple was trending on social media!
The Caring Society would like to thank everyone who participated in
Bear Witness Day and the tremendous support that was shown for
First Nations children and youth!
Jordan’s Principle ensures that First Nations children and youth
receive the same public services as all other young people in the
country. This year marks 10 years since Jordan’s Principle was
unanimously passed in the House of Commons and one year since the
Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordered the federal government to
fully implement Jordan’s Principle.
With another year passed, First Nations children continue to face
discrimination in accessing government services on the same terms as
other kids.
To learn more visit www.jordansprinciple.ca
On Bear Witness Day, students at Pierre Elliot Trudeau
Elementary School in Gatineau, Quebec, wrote letters to the
Prime Minister asking him to fully implement Jordan’s
Principle so that no First Nations child has to suffer.
Reconciling
History at Beechwood
Cemetery
On June 4, Beechwood Cemetery, in
partnership with Kairos and the Caring
Society, played host to the unveiling of the
Nicolas Flood Davin plaque. This plaque
portrays Nicholas Flood Davin’s memory
and his pivotal role in the fabrication of the
residential school system and its legacy.
The event took place at the Nicolas Flood
Davin monument, and included visits
to the burial places of Duncan Campbell
Scott, another key figure in the creation of
residential schools, and Dr. Peter Henderson
Bryce, a true hero for First Nations children.
With words from John Milloy, Naten Obed,
Cindy Blackstock and others, the event
sought to reveal truths about our collective
past as Canadians to help forge new
relationships based on mutual respect.
The new Nicholas Flood Davin plaque at
Beechwood Cemetery.
In Child Rights Canada Falls
Behind International Community
The 2017 Kids Rights Index is now available. The Index
ranks 165 countries based on their adherence to the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child. The 2017
report highlights an ongoing trend of discrimination against
minority and marginalized groups.
for a country as wealthy as Canada, but should come as no
surprise. In 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
found that Canada discriminates against First Nations
children and youth, yet Canada has failed to comply with all
legal orders to immediately cease its discriminatory practices.
On “Enabling Environment for Child Rights” Canada is
ranked 126–132 out of 165 countries. This is unacceptable
For more information visit www.kidsrightsindex.org
and www.fnwitness.ca
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CARING SOCIETY NEWS | summer 2017
Collaboration is Key for FNCARES
by Melisa Brittain
Partnering with educational and community organizations in
Edmonton enables FNCARES to connect with more people
and create lasting relationships: all crucial for promoting
equity and justice for First Nations children and youth.
In February, FNCARES partnered with Metro
Cinema and Reconciliation in Focus to screen
We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice
(NFB, 2016) and with FAVA TV to record
the Q&A session with Cindy Blackstock and the film’s
director, Alanis Obomsawin. Video of the Q&A session is
now available as an educational resource. You can screen
it along with the film or on its own. Find the Q&A video at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZDmv4UhJMs
In March, FNCARES teamed up with MacEwan University
students and faculty to present a film screening and
panel discussion of (Dis)placed: Indigenous youth and
the child welfare system. During the panel discussion
and Q&A, panellists and community members shared
their knowledge and concerns, as well as solutions to
the structural inequities and other systemic issues that
account for the unbelievably high rates of Indigenous
children in care.
Our newest partnership is with the Faculty of Education at
the University of Alberta, where we will be part of the Centre
for Global Citizenship Education and Research. We’re so
excited to embark on this new adventure in collaboration!
MacEwan Screening Team (left to right): Jo‑Mary CrowchildFletcher, Will Woodford, Melisa Brittain, Derek Chewka,
Alissa Overend, Amber Dion. Seated: Elder Rick Lightning
Honouring Memories, Planting Dreams
Celebrated annually in the spring and early summer, Honouring Memories,
Planting Dreams invites individuals of all ages and from across the country to plant
heart gardens in memory of the children lost to the residential school system, to honour
residential school survivors and their families, and to support the legacy of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission. Each heart planted represents the life of a child lost and the
act of planting represents your commitment to reconciliation.
Heart gardens can be made by anyone of any background and age and can include
decorated paper hearts affixed to planting sticks, real flowers and where appropriate,
Indigenous plants and medicines. Bookmarks are available from the Caring Society that
are infused with wildflower seeds that you can plant in your garden. In 2017, over 7,000
bookmarks were distributed across Canada to celebrate reconciliation.
For learning resources and more visit www.honouringmemoriesplantingdreams.ca
www.fncaringsociety.com
3
Touchstones of Hope
for Reconciliation
in Canada
The Touchstones of Hope is a set of principles to guide a
reconciliation process. When the Touchstones were first conceived
in 2005, the focus was reconciliation in child welfare. This remains
a priority for the Caring Society, though the Touchstones are
also transferable across a wide variety of areas (e.g., health care,
education, workplace environments, etc.).
The success of the Touchstones of Hope movement rests on the
fact that it is a community-driven process that fosters relationships
and provides opportunities to have respectful conversations about
reconciliation. This includes concrete steps for moving forward together
so that all Aboriginal children are healthy and living with dignity.
In early January 2017, hosted by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs,
Caring Society staff held a Touchstones of Hope “Train the Trainer”
session in Winnipeg, Manitoba. These sessions train facilitators on
the Touchstones of Hope principles and process so that they can
start a movement in their community! To learn more about how the
Caring Society can help with your Touchstones of Hope movement,
visit fncaringsociety.com/how-we-can-helptouchstones-hope-sessions
Spirit Bear Book
Coming Soon!
Spirit Bear and Kids Making History will tell
the story of the First Nations child welfare
case (www.fnwitness.ca) through the eyes
of Spirit Bear.
A proud member of the Caring Society team
since 2008, Spirit Bear attended all of the
hearings at the Canadian Human Rights
Tribunal and knows that young people were
the first to “bear” witness to the case. For
close to 10 years, Spirit Bear watched in
amazement as children and youth across
Canada stood up for the health, safety and
well-being of First Nations kids by learning
about the child welfare case, speaking from
the heart and taking respectful action for
change. Spirit Bear knows that kids helped
win the case and wants to tell their story! He
is currently working with a writer and artist
to create an illustrated book aimed at children
in Grades 3 to 5. He has also enlisted the
help of teachers, children and youth to create
classroom resources to accompany the story.
Release date to be announced later this year!
Staff Changes
at the Caring Society office
4
Membership Information
If you would like to join the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society
as a Member under one of the following categories:
Individual Membership: $75
Student Membership with ID or Elder: $5
Small FNCFCS Agency Membership (1–50 employees): $500
Large FNCFCS Agency Membership (50+ employees): $1,000
Small Associate Membership (Organizations with 1–50 employees): $500
Large Associate Membership (Organizations with 50+ employees): $1,000
Spirit Bear and the Caring Society would
like to thank Unifor (www.
unifor.org) for their
generous support of
the project.
Spirit Bear is
hard at work
on his first book.
Please contact us at:
309 Cooper Street
Suite 401
Ottawa ON K2P 0G5
ph: 613.230.5885
fax: 613.230.3080
[email protected]
Design and Layout
Leah Gryfe Designs
leahgryfedesigns.com
Editor
Marc St. Dennis
[email protected]
www.fncaringsociety.com
@Caringsociety CaringSociety fncaringsociety
CARING SOCIETY NEWS | summer 2017