DARK SIDE OF MÉTIS PARTNERSHIP WITH LIBERAL
GOVERNMENT
 |
| Métis Commission for Children and Families |
Métis organizations and agencies that
receive six-figure amounts of Liberal government funding are the Métis Commisssion for Children and
Families of BC, the Island
Métis Children and Family Services Society and the Métis Nation of British Columbia. Each of these has
a network of service provider agency arms for the Métis people across this
province. That's the bright side, the wisdom side of the relationship these
aboriginal organizations have with the B.C. government and specifically with
the Ministry of Children and Families. MCFD can rely upon these agencies to assist
Métis people with services that money can provide.
There is also a dark side, the foolish side
of this relationship and we have seen it expressed in the case of
three-year-old SS who lost her family, her foster mom and dad and four foster
siblings and her Métis connections within the past two months. Instead of
'foster' I might have written the word 'real.' This family is the only family
she has known since she was born. Her Métis birth parents wanted her to be with
this foster family. How did the dark side of the aforementioned Métis
organizations manifest itself? In my opinion, in an unmistakable demonstration
of who butters their bread, these organizations supported the Ministry of
Children and Families' plan to remove SS from her Métis family. Not so the BC Métis Federation to which her foster family belongs and who have been opposed to moving the child to Ontario.
You see this was ostensibly a 'best
interests of the child' question, yet it can also be interpreted in this
instance to be a 'best interests of us' decision when it comes to spouting one
thing in principle but in practice doing something contradictory. Observe the Métis
Commission for Children and Families of BC self expression, "Acting
as the legislatively
designated community, the Commission is fostering the development of
Métis culturally inclusive and specific programs and services through the
various agencies across the province. We desire to better serve the Métis
community in all facets of program and service delivery and to protect and serve the legacy
of Métis people by addressing systemic issues. We are all working
for and towards the safety of our children, as well as the resurgence and perpetuation of Métis Culture
through inclusive and culturally relevant programs and services. We are all brothers and sisters
in the extended community of Métis people."
I highlighted key phrases for you the
reader to evaluate whether in supporting the MCFD plan for SS, the Commission
protected and served the legacy of Métis people, or helped to perpetuate Métis
culture? You cannot successfully argue to me that the best interests of this
child were served by removing her from intelligent professional foster parents
who wanted to adopt her and were already her Aboriginal Custom Adoptive
parents, from a Métis family and culture and community, contravening
legislation that prohibits her adoption out of province or to a non-Métis
family, and then covering bureaucratic butt by changing the move from adoption
to a fostering relationship in Ontario.
If you will consider helping LM and RB as
they go forward, look at these links,
Facebook page ‘Bring Home Baby S’, and
the two websites that tell her story, bringsshome.ca or bringsshome.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I encourage your comments using this filter.
1. Write politely with a sincere statement, valid question, justifiable comment.
2. Engage with the blog post or a previous comment whether you agree or disagree.
3. Avoid hate, profanity, name calling, character attack, slander and threats, particularly when using specific names.
4. Do not advertise