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#1 - Legacy - Child Welfare

6 years after its release, I am finally digging into the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action. There are 91 days left in the year and the goal is to read and reflect on at least one call to action daily for the remainder of the year. Thank you for joining me on this journey. May our endeavour together be a catalyst for lasting progress and affect meaningful change in Canada.
The first Call to Action, under the heading Legacy focuses on Child Welfare

1. We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to commit to reducing the number of Aboriginal children in care by:

i. Monitoring and assessing neglect investigations.

ii. Providing adequate resources to enable Aboriginal communities and child-welfare organizations to keep Aboriginal families together where it is safe to do so, and to keep children in culturally appropriate environments, regardless of where they reside.

iii. Ensuring that social workers and others who conduct child-welfare investigations are properly

educated and trained about the history and impacts of residential schools.

iv. Ensuring that social workers and others who conduct child-welfare investigations are properly

educated and trained about the potential for Aboriginal communities and families to provide more appropriate solutions to family healing.

v. Requiring that all child-welfare decision makers consider the impact of the residential school experience on children and their caregivers.



For the past 3 years, my wife has worked for an organization in Saskatoon supporting moms and their babies harmonious with this call to action. “Sanctum 1.5 is a 10-bed pre and postnatal care home which supports high-risk and HIV positive pregnant women at risk of having their infants apprehended at birth.” The indigenous populations in Saskatchewan are disproportionately impacted by HIV. Since opening in 2018, Sanctum has supported 74 mothers; 68 babies have been born healthy with no vertical transmission of HIV; 64 moms and babies have transitioned out of the program; more than 30 children in systemic care have been reunited with mothers who have graduated the Sanctum program.

Sanctum Care Group is a non-profit organization. This year their primary fundraiser, “Sanctum Survivor Challenge, October 2, 2021” will be a virtual event with a pre-show beginning at 6:30 pm. You can get tickets here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/sanctum-care-group-inc/events/sanctum-survivor-virtual-gala/#overview

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