In the wake of the long-awaited findings on Canada’s residential school system, some in the First Nations community fear that generational loss is happening again -- with large numbers of aboriginal children in foster care.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded Tuesday that the treatment of aboriginal people in residential schools amounted to "cultural genocide." Despite the fact that the last institution closed in 1996, survivors say that the country's foster system is having a similarly destructive effect on the community.
There are currently an estimated 30,000 aboriginal children in foster care in Canada, which is three times more than the number of students at the height of the residential school era.
“Absolutely nothing has changed -- in fact, it’s far worse than the Indian residential school system,” said Jocyeln Iahtail, who is the daughter of a residential school survivor.
While Tuesday’s report brought about feelings of “hope” for Elise Charland, she agreed that the aboriginal community is still losing its children to child welfare.
“A lot them, when they come back, they don’t know who they are,” she said. “It’s like being back in residential schools for them, because they’ve lost their identity, their languages, their culture.”
Her own daughter died of suicide in 1994 while in foster care.
“She took her life, because she couldn’t live with the things that had happened to her in foster care.”
And Charland wasn’t alone in sharing her tragic experience with the foster-care system.
“Even in foster care, they get sexually abused,” said Marie-Catherine Sackana, a residential school survivor. “I know my granddaughter was molested in a foster home.”
The Canadian Human Rights Commission is expected to soon rule on whether Ottawa is underfunding the First Nations child welfare system.
“That could find this government responsible for racially discriminating against 163,000 First Nations kids and order them to fix the problem,” said Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society.
According to the AFN, children on reserves received 22 per cent less funding for services compared to those living off reserves.
The organization filed the human rights complaint in 2007, alleging that the federal government was racially discriminating against First Nations children.
Under the Indian Act, the federal government is responsible for funding health, education, police services and child welfare on reserves.
Survivors say they want government agencies to keep aboriginal children in their communities, rather than force them into a foster home.
One proposal is to move the parents out of the home -- and new caregivers in -- rather than displace the children. Counselling would also be provided to the parents whose children have been taken away.
“It makes so much sense. It’s not the children’s fault, they are totally innocent,” said Rosalie Labillois, of Eel River Bar First Nation.
With a report by CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife
