Our names are and we are from various parts of so-called Canada. We are writing to you to ask that you end the discrimination against First Nations children, so that all First nations children can grow up safe, healthy, well educated, and with their families who love them, who they have grown up with and grown attached to. We ask that you fund all services on reserves better, especially child and family services, Jordan's Principle services, and education. We ask that you ensure there is no discrimination in any of the services provided to First Nations people and that all organizations providing access to services on reserves are free of racism and discrimination. We ask that you implement the Spirit Bear Plan. And we also ask that you fairly compensate all children and families who have faced harm as a result of the Canadian government's unfair practices.
Child and Family services on reserves are underfunded. They are also prejudiced. This means that instead of helping families with what they need to in order to best take care of their children, they take children away from families that love them and put them in foster care. Families struggling with poverty or mental health or addictions or disabilities still love their children. These families should not be separated, they should be helped so that they can have their needs met. Indigenous children are 17 times more likely to be separated from their families compared to non-Indigenous children. But they are not more likely to face familial abuse. The reason why the vast majority of these kids are being separated is because their families are poor, struggling with mental illness or addiction or disability, or some combination of these factors. If child and family service providers were better funded and more culturally respectful, they would be able to help families meet their children's needs instead of taking children away.
Most services on reserves, including services for disabled kids, healthcare services, and mental health services, are funded by the federal government. But these services are often underfunded, often severely. There are also many times when First Nations families living on reserves need to access provincial services. When this happens, there are often long disputes between provincial and federal governments about who should pay. This leads to children not receiving the healthcare and services they need, or having long gaps and delays in receiving healthcare and services.
Jordan's Principle was implemented to ensure that all children receive timely and adequate healthcare and services first and payment disputes are resolved in a way that doesn't affect children's access to services. But this principle has been implemented in a very narrow way by the government and many children who needed services and healthcare under Jordan's Principle did not receive those services. Many children who did receive services did not receive them in a timely manner.
Education on reserves is also underfunded, and First Nations children on reserves do not have access to safe, comfy schools and high quality education. They do not have environments where they can learn all that they can and reach their full potential. This is horrifically unfair, since every child has an equal right to education and every child has an equal right to good quality education where they can learn, grow, thrive, and reach their full potential.
Education needs funding. You need to have enough teachers, small class sizes, and heating in classrooms. You need books, textbooks, school supplies and a library. You need a whiteboard, markers and erasers. You need good bathrooms. It really helps to have smartboards like settler schools have. You need a gym, sports equipment, art supplies, and a safe playground. You need a lab with equipment. You need therapists, nurses, counselors and educational assistants. You need money for field trips. You often need snacks. You need learning toys like base ten blocks for younger kids. First Nations children cannot afford everything that they need to learn effectively.
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Have a Heart Day Letter to Canadian Government to Help Indigenous Kids 2023
Phi Hư CấuThis is the letter I wrote to the government of Canada, asking them to stop discriminating against First Nations children and families on reserves, and asking them to stop taking First Nations children from their loving families. All the research is...
