Image
Audio
By Jeremy Harpe of CFWE-FM
Windspeaker.com Contributor
A conference will be hosted in Calgary on Monday Oct. 16 through Oct. 18 by Treaty 7 child welfare representatives, who want to have a discussion with the Western provinces in Canada to get feedback on the recent implementation of Jordan’s Principle and governments’ administration processes.
Jordan’s Principle is generally a child-first commitment to resolve jurisdictional disputes between governments or within governments regarding the payment of services provided to First Nations children.
The conference has built in an interactive dialogue, with question and answer sessions after each and every panel, said organizer Angela Grier. The conference will give participants time to interact with people they wouldn’t normally get to interact with, including Cindy Blackstock of the First Nations Family and Child Caring Society, who led the Human Rights tribunal challenge that proved Canada is discriminating against First Nations children in care on reserves by underfunding them. The tribunal also decided that Canada was not living up to its commitment under Jordan’s Principle.
Blackstock will be discussing the understanding and definition of Jordan’s Principle, said Grier.
“Jordan’s Principle goes across the whole gamut for anybody dealing with First Nations children, number one,” said Grier.
Also participating is Dr. Leroy Littlebear, who will provide the legal and historic understanding of the principle, while providing the opportunities and possibilities of creating legislation around Jordan’s Principle going forward to empower First Nations child welfare directors.
Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild will provide the background of the United Nations around the issue and the definitions of the larger global perspective.
“This is a really great opportunity to have a conversation, have dialogue and create something to gather support for the issues surrounding Jordan’s Principle and how it’s related to child welfare and children in care.”
At the conference, there will be a focus on the child welfare perspective, but it’s also for people in positions of leadership, civil servants, senior administration for child welfare offices. The conference intends to educate those who are working with First Nations children, while speaking from a First Nations’ perspective. Grier said a lot of the discussion around Jordan’s Principle has come from a government perspective in the past.