First Nations Collaborative

Inquiry Assignment
The Native Child Welfare Calamity

Questions I Had
Will this article deal with child services in native
communities?
Will it clarify what calamity means
Will the article talk about Tina Fontaine?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/tina-fontaine-homicide-arrest-winnipeg1.3361103

Questions + Answers
Q: Will this article deal with child services in native
communities?
A: This article discusses in great detail with strong opinions
on child welfare / child services within native communities

Q&A
Q: Will it clarify what calamity means
A: This article is not exactly clear on what calamity means
Calamity:
1. a great misfortune or disaster, as a flood or serious injury.
2. grievous affliction; adversity; misery:
the calamity of war.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/calamity

Q&A
Q: Will the article talk about Tina Fontaine?
A: This article talks about Tina Fontaine as an example to
stress how the quality of child welfare for native children
needs to change. They use her story as a call for desperate
measures on how theres an undeniable need for a better
system to support and ensure the safety of native children.

UNDRIP connections
1. Recognition of special needs - political and economic rights, article 22
Particular attention shall be paid to the rights and special needs of
indigenous elders, women, youth, children, and persons with disabilities in the
implementation of this declaration. The child welfare system has failed to meet
these standards according to this article.

2.

Special Measures - political and economic rights, article 21

Indigenous peoples have the right, without discrimination, to the

improvement of their economic and social conditions, including, inter alia, in the
areas of education, employment, vocational training and retraining housing,
sanitation, health and social security. - Child welfare, falling into a form of social
security, needs improvement according to this article.

3.

Equality - Foundational Rights, article 2

Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples
and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination, in the
exercise of their rights, in particular that based on their indigenous origin or
history. - Not equal in the fact they do not receive the same quality of child welfare
than the average Canadian citizen.

Final Questions
Is child welfare only an issue for indigenous peoples, or for
other minorities or even the general white population?
Has this issue regarding child welfare among indigenous
youth been resolved in any way since this articles
release?
I wonder if Tina Fontaines family got the justice they
deserved for her murder.

Solutions \ Future Steps

The article presents possible solutions for the future to help this system
It would make sense for CFS to have its own, special unit to go out, find and
keep in touch with runaways and coax them off the streets. Such a new unit would
and should- cost additional money to the government. Canadian governments and that means Canadian taxpayers - must accept the need to spend more on
native child welfare, and more on native education.
My own solution:
Schools should concentrate more on indigenous issues and history.

Central Question and Problem

Should Canada be seen as a successful example of the fulfillment of the United
Nations Declaration on Rights of indigenous peoples (UNDRIP)?
No, based on this article Canada has not fulfilled the requirements of UNDRIP.
Canada has a rocky history with indigenous peoples with residential schools, the
reservation system, child welfare, etc. The relationship has been improved but the
problem has not been solved.