Legislatures and courts are beginning to address concerns of Indigenous children being removed from their communities through child protection and adoption agencies. The child welfare systems failed to address Indigenous children being removed from their homes and cultural backgrounds in the US and Canada. These were recognized as efforts to assimilate these children into a… Continue reading US and Canadian Courts Rule On Pivotal Indigenous Child Removal Laws
Category: Indigenous Family Matters
Mincher Koeman Sworn in as By-Law Prosecutor for Siksika Nation
On October 28, Andrew Koeman and Lynsey Mincher of Mincher Koeman were sworn in as the first by-law prosecutors for Siksika First Nation in Alberta. This arrangement, in which the firm will enforce the First Nation’s by-laws in provincial court, represents the creation of the first Indigenous By-Law Prosecutor’s Office in Canada. By-Law Prosecutor’s Office… Continue reading Mincher Koeman Sworn in as By-Law Prosecutor for Siksika Nation
Canadian Indigenous Law – A Glossary of Terms
Canadian Indigenous law can be complicated to navigate and involves a variety of terminology arising from common usage, public policy considerations, legislation, and court decisions. Below, we have set out a glossary of commonly-used Indigenous law terms and their meanings. A Aboriginal A term that collectively refers to all First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples… Continue reading Canadian Indigenous Law – A Glossary of Terms
Alberta Provincial Court Announces Indigenous Justice Strategy to Coincide with Day for Truth & Reconciliation
We have written previously about the various injustices and roadblocks faced by Alberta’s various First Nations communities in our provincial court system, as it applies to child intervention and guardianship matters, as well as our work with these communities, such as the Káínawa Blood Tribe, which we successfully represented in the Blood Tribe’s application to… Continue reading Alberta Provincial Court Announces Indigenous Justice Strategy to Coincide with Day for Truth & Reconciliation
Alberta First Nation Claims Province Refusing to Cede Control Over Child Welfare
Bill C-92, An Act respecting First Nation, Inuit, and Metis children, youth and families was passed by the federal government to empower Canada’s Indigenous and First Nation communities to take control over their own child welfare systems. This was done in large part to address decades of mistreatment of Indigenous children. Indigenous children have been marginalized… Continue reading Alberta First Nation Claims Province Refusing to Cede Control Over Child Welfare
Agreement Reached on Compensation for First Nations Child Welfare Discrimination
Nearly two years ago, we wrote about the ongoing fight of various First Nations communities to both take control of local child welfare matters as well as to secure compensation for children and families that had been harmed under Canada’s child welfare system. The claim originated in 2007 with a complaint filed jointly by the… Continue reading Agreement Reached on Compensation for First Nations Child Welfare Discrimination