FSIN’s Cameron calls out Trudeau over child care

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) has sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over what it calls his failed promise to deliver on child care.

Signed by chief Bobby Cameron, the letter states “the promise was that child welfare legislation would be a priority by end of January 2019. However, this date has come and gone and the budget for this legislation has not been presented.”

Cameron says the FISN is “deeply concerned” for thousands of First Nations children and families, that the issue needs to be resolved as soon as possible.

“When we attended the national emergency meeting called by your government, we learned that agenda consisted of our children and families. At that meeting, the situation was declared a humanitarian crisis. This is due to the grotesque levels of over-representation of First Nations children in care.”

Cameron also uses the letter to raise concern about Trudeau removing Jody Wilson-Raybould from her previous post of Attorney General.

“Minister Wilson-Raybould possesses the experience and skill required to balance the need for clear and decisive legislation and defend that legislation in the House of Commons. These decisions are difficult to reconcile with your government’s stated mandates in the area of child welfare.”

Cameron is especially concerned over the fact that Wilson-Raybould is Indigenous, and considers her “an expert in these issues.”

The FSIN wants a bill on child care legislation that doesn’t allow provincial authorities to intrude “into our jurisdiction and responsibility for our children, based on a denial of rights approach.”

The bill ought to uphold “our inherent rights and treaties recognizing our inherent rights of self-determination and self-government.”