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Grand chiefs cautious about move to child welfare MOU

Article Origin

Author

By Shari Narine Sweetgrass Contributing Editor EDMONTON

Volume

19

Issue

1

Year

2011

A recent announcement from the provincial government that it was moving ahead with another tripartite agreement – this one involving Aboriginal children in care – has taken First Nations Grand Chiefs by surprise.

“The Education MOU hasn’t proven it works yet,” said Richard Kappo, Grand Chief of Treaty 8.

The Education memorandum of understanding was signed in late 2010 by the three Grand Chiefs and the provincial and federal governments.

“The trouble with an MOU is there’s no legal standing to it. There’s no binding agreement. An MOU is agreeing to talk basically,” said Kappo.

Putting on paper how dialogue will proceed is not necessarily a bad thing, said Treaty 6 Grand Chief Cameron Alexis.

“I think we learned a few things with the Education MOU. We want to just slow down and take the necessary steps in which our treaties are being addressed and our communities, from a sovereign perspective, are being addressed,” said Alexis.

He added that some First Nations are concerned about another tripartite agreement.

Just like education, the federal government funds children welfare services on the reserve, but it is provincial government legislation that is implemented. And like education, there is a discrepancy between the funds the federal government gives on-reserve children’s services agencies and the funding received by off-reserve children’s service agencies, which are funded by the province.

“So what some First Nations are saying is the federal government is the funding agency, but more importantly we should be involved in our own legislation because we know more about our own children, our own people, our own communities, our own culture than another level of government,” said Alexis.

Kappo noted that Treaty 8 children’s services agencies have already begun brainstorming on how to meet the needs of their children better and will come up with a plan that will serve Treaty 8. He said similar discussions are happening in the other treaty areas as well.

Any policies that the First Nations would consider would be both for their children on-reserve and those who are in care off-reserve.

“Our plan is to try and repatriate our children back. Get them back to the communities,” said Kappo.

Alexis said chiefs have been involved in discussion with the province regarding a children’s services MOU, but not to the point that it can be announced.

The announcement came at the end of October when Human Services deputy minister Steve MacDonald told a legislature committee that the provincial government wanted to move ahead with the MOU.

“We continue to dialogue that’s why I say we have to quantify and ensure that it’s all in unison and agreed upon and then we continue to move forward from that point,” said Alexis. “We support the MOU process. It’s just that we need to slow down to make sure everybody fully comprehends and understands the realms in which we are moving forward to.”

“Somewhere the bands have to take a stand…to try and develop something on their own. Instead of (the government) bringing a document and saying this is what we want to do,” said Kappo.