[Indigsol] Wednesday, Sept. 22 - Is This Our Canada? Public Lecture and Caring Across Boundaries Photo Exhibit

Sat Sep 11 11:06:13 PDT 2010

~~~ Please forward widely ~~~

Also posted on:
http://ipsmo.wordpress.com/2010/09/06/is-this-our-canada-a-public-lecture-by-cindy-blackstock/

Please join us for

A Public Lecture by *Cindy Blackstock*, the Executive Director of First
Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and Exhibition of the
*Caring Across Boundaries Photography Exhibit*:

Is this Our Canada?
How racial discrimination in children’s services undermines the potential of
this generation of First Nations children and what you can do to help

with an opening ceremony by an Algonquin Elder and introduction by *Georges
Sioui*, the coordinator of Aboriginal Study of University of Ottawa in the
beginning of the lecture

Lecture will begin at 7 pm on Wednesday, Sept 22, 2010
@ Alumni Theatre, Jock Turcot University Centre, University of Ottawa

Caring Across Boundaries Photography Exhibit Photography by Liam
Sharp will be open all day, from 11 am to 9 pm on Wednesday, Sept 22, 2010
@ Agora, Ground Floor of Jock Turcot University Centre, University of
Ottawa

** Admission is free, everyone is welcome.  Donation is appreciated.

As of May of 2005, the Wen:de study found that 0.67% of non Aboriginal
children were in child welfare care in three sample provinces in Canada as
compared to 10.23% of status Indian children.

According to federal government figures the number of status Indian children
entering child welfare care rose 71.5% nationally between 1995-2001.

*Is this our Canada?*

The Canadian Incidence Study on Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) has
found that First Nations children come to the attention of child welfare
authorities for different reasons than non Aboriginal children. First
Nations are not more likely to experience abuse than non-Aboriginal
children. First Nations children are more likely to be reported for
neglect
which is driven by poverty, poor housing and caregiver substance misuse.

Based on an audit conducted by the Auditor General of Canada, the
percentages of children in care on reserves ranged from 0 to 28% in 2007.

*Is this our Canada?*

Provincial child welfare laws apply both on and off reserves. The
provinces
fund child welfare for children off reserve but expect the federal
government to fund it on reserve. If the federal government does not fund
the services or funds them inadequately, the provinces typically do not
top
up the funding levels. This results in a two tiered child welfare system
where First Nations children on reserves get less funding for child
welfare
than other children.

Repeated reports, including by the Auditor General of Canada (2008) and
Standing Committee on Public Accounts (2009) confirm that federal
government
funding for child welfare services on reserves is inadequate and must be
changed in order to ensure First Nations children and families on reserves
receive a comparable and culturally based child welfare services.

Although the federal government has been aware of the shortfalls in its
child welfare funding for over nine years, it has implemented only modest
improvements in three provinces.

*Is this our Canada?*

Overall there are more First Nations children in child welfare care in
Canada than at the height of residential schools.  Canada ranked 3rd on
the
United Nations Human Development index however; the First Nations
communities in Canada ranked 72nd.

Please join us in this lecture to learn about the reality of child welfare
services in Indigenous communities across Turtle Island (a.k.a. Canada)
and
ways you can make difference for the First Nations children.

For comprehensive background information, research and publications on First
Nations Child Welfare, please visit  http://www.fncaringsociety.com/.

~~~

*Caring Across Boundaries* is an exhibition about the importance of
reconciliation between First Nations and the rest of Canada for the
wellbeing of children and youth. Reconciliation opens the doors for all
Canadians to have a new relationship with First Nations based on mutual
respect and friendship.

In this exhibition, three First Nations communities share their daily
experiences with a view to inviting every Canadian to make a positive
difference for First Nations children and their families.

It is a collaboration between renowned photographer Liam Sharp, Aboriginal
child rights advocate Cindy Blackstock and the First Nations communities
of
Attawapiskat, Ontario; Carrier-Sekani Family Services: a branch society of
the Carrier-Sekani Tribal Council, British Columbia; and, Tobique First
Nation, New Brunswick.

~~~

Bios

*Liam Sharp* is an internationally renowned photographer who specializes in
storytelling conceptual photography. For over twenty years, Liam has worked
in settings ranging from diamond vaults to impoverished neighbourhoods,
museums, sky scrapers and theme parks. He was the recipient of the Silver
Award of the Art Directors Club of Canada in 2009 and was nominated for a
National Magazine Award. His work has been featured in Graphis, Applied
Arts
and PDN magazines, Report on Business, The London Times Magazine, among
others publications.  Go to liamsharp.com for a glance of his work.

*Cindy Blackstock* is one of Canada’s leading and most passionate
spokespersons for the promotion and strengthening of First Nations cultures,
knowledge and rights. A member of the Gitksan First Nation, and the
Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of
Canada (FNCFCS), she has worked in the field of child and family services
for over 20 years.

*ATTAWAPISKAT FIRST NATION* is home to the Mushkego or Omushkego James Bay
Cree located along the Attawapiskat River near James Bay, Ontario. The
community takes great pride in its Cree culture and language and most
children are fluent in Cree despite the devastating impacts of
colonization.
Daily life for families in the community is difficult. The school sits on a
site contaminated by over 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel, sanitation systems
are grossly inadequate, food costs are high, and there are severe housing
shortages. The community leadership has worked hard with federal and
provincial governments to deal with the problems but progress is slow.

*CARRIER SEKANI NATIONS* people historically have resided in a vast
territory, of over 76,000 kilometers, primarily located in North Central
British Columbia. Today there are approximately 10,000 individuals
represented by 22 Indian Bands or First Nations, as recognized by the
Department of Indian Affairs that identify as being Carrier or Sekani
societies. Families are challenged by the inter-generational impacts of
colonization, poverty and unresolved land claims. Carrier Sekani peoples
have developed institutions such as Carrier Sekani Family Services to help
community members but they need more resources to meet all of the needs.
Go
to www.csfs.org for more information.

*TOBIQUE FIRST NATION* is a Maliseet community located in a rural area along
the St. John River in New Brunswick. A hydro electric dam was built on their
lands but the community receives very little benefit from the dam. They pay
some of the highest electric power bills in the province, have seen their
traditional foods and medicines eroded due to the dam and many community
members are living in poverty. Federal and Provincial government funding
for
essential government services such as education and child welfare fall far
below what other children in the province receive. This community is
working
hard to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their children but they need
access to the resources other communities take for granted.

~~

This lecture and exhibition are presented by First Nations Child and Family
Caring Society of Canada, <http://www.fncaringsociety.com/> Forum on
Aboriginal Research and Study – University of Ottawa
<http://www.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/fera/eng/index.asp>andIndigenous
Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa <http://www.ipsm.org/>,
and sponsored by Canadian Union of Postal Workers, <http://www.cupw.ca/>
Public Service Alliance of Canada <http://psac.com/> and Ontario Public
Interest Research Group – University of Ottawa
<http://www.opirg-gripo.ca/>

The lecture will be presented in English.

-- 
In Solidarity,
Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa (IPSMO)
on unceded Algonquin Territory
--
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http://ipsmo.wordpress.com/video-archives/

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