Children and Law

"Written in 1979 for the Research Branch of the federal Ministry of Indian and Northern Affairs, this publicaiton lists justice oriented programmes across Canada, federally, provincially and territorially, that are designed for or available to native people. Lists purpose of the program, authorization for the the program, administration of the program, target population, duration, and resources in terms of funds and personnel. Lists contact information." -- Provided by publisher

"For over 100 years, thousands of Aboriginal children passed through the Canadian residential school system. Begun in the 1870s, it was intended, in the words of government officials, to bring these children into the “circle of civilization,” the results, however, were far different. More often, the schools provided an inferior education in an atmosphere of neglect, disease, and often abuse.

"Beginning in the 1960s, large numbers of Aboriginal children in Canada were removed from their families by provincial child welfare services. Known as the “sixties scoop,” the practice caused great harm to individuals and families and devastated communities. Today Aboriginal children comprise roughly half the children in state care, but since the 1980s, bands and tribal councils have developed unique community-based child welfare services to better protect Aboriginal children.

"A powerful, fast and timely story of a troubled foster teenager - a boy who is not a 'legal' Indian because he was never claimed by his father - who learns the true meaning of terror. About to commit a devastating act, the young man finds himself shot back through time on a shocking sojourn through moments of violence in American history.

An intimate portrait of a fiercely determined survivor, Donna's Story profiles a Cree woman who left behind a bleak existence on the streets. She has re-emerged as a powerful voice counselling Aboriginal adults and youth about abuse and addiction. Donna Gamble was raised in foster homes, addicted to drugs and caught up in prostitution by the age of 13. The camera unravels her exhilarating and tumultuous journey: her motivation to turn her life around, her work to keep others off the streets and the renewal of personal relationships with her family and children.

"Richard Cardinal died by his own hand at the age of 17, having spent most of his life in a string of foster homes and shelters across Alberta. In this short documentary, Abenaki director Alanis Obomsawin weaves excerpts from Richard’s diary into a powerful tribute to his short life. Released in 1984—decades before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission—the film exposed the systemic neglect and mistreatment of Indigenous children in Canada’s child welfare system.

"Fifteen-year-old Buckley (Buckley Petawabano) attends residential school, where he longs for his home and dreams of fishing and hunting. Yet when he returns to the reserve for the summer he feels like a stranger, unable to speak his Cree language or live off the land like his father and brothers. Johnny (Johnny Yesno), an Indigenous caretaker at the school, takes Buckley under his wing, introducing him to Indigenous history, culture, and knowledge.

"Children, Tribes, and States explores child welfare, adoption, and custody conflicts involving American Indian children with a particular focus on jurisdictional and placement disputes between states and tribes. Atwood examines the policies driving the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 against the backdrop of current ICWA controversies in state courts. In addition, she explores tribal-state competition in inter-parental custody disputes, a contentious arena that falls outside the purview of ICWA.

"The adoption of Aboriginal children into non-Aboriginal families has a long and contentious history in Canada. Life stories told by First Nations people reveal that the adoption experience has been far from positive for these communities and has, in fact, been an integral aspect of colonization. In an effort to decolonize adoption practices, the Yellowhead Tribal Services Agency (YTSA) in Alberta has integrated customary First Peoples’ adoption practices with provincial adoption laws and regulations.

"During the past decade, a remarkable transference of jurisdiction to Indigenous children's organisation has taken place in many parts of Australia, Canada, the USA and New Zealand. It has been influenced by Indigenous peoples' human rights advocacy at national and international levels, by claims to self-determination and by the globalisation of Indigenous children's organisations.