@deannekasokeo: First Nations need to develop and implement our own child and family services laws so that our agencies answer to our Nations, our families, and our ways of caring for children. Our jurisdiction does not begin with government permission; it comes from our inherent responsibilities to our children. We need to give that responsibility practical strength through our own laws, properly resourced services, and systems that support families and bring our children home safely. Having a First Nations agency is only part of the work. We must also exercise our authority over the laws and decisions that shape our children’s lives. We cannot keep speaking about the harms of residential schools while accepting systems that continue to separate children from their families, cultures, and Nations. Too many families encounter discrimination in colonial institutions and adversarial courts, where they must fight to have their identity, kinship, and ways of life understood and respected. The scale of separation is staggering: the 2021 Census found that First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children together represented more than half of children in foster care, despite making up less than eight per cent of the child population. Behind those numbers are children who need safety, belonging, love, and connection. We need our own courts and decision-making processes grounded in peace, healing, harmony, and balance—with fair processes and meaningful accountability to children and families. I cannot carry this work alone. No parent, advocate, or frontline worker should have to carry it alone. This requires a community, a Nation, and Nations coming together. Our leadership, Elders, families, legal professionals, and everyone working on the front lines need to build a shared strategy: develop our laws, secure the resources to implement them, establish our own decision-making bodies, and support families before they reach a crisis. We have the knowledge, the responsibility, and people capable of leading this work. What we need now is collective commitment and action. Our children cannot wait for another generation of discussions. We needed this yesterday. We must begin today. " More than 61,000 children and youth were living in out-of-home care across Canada in 2022. Our children cannot wait for another generation of discussions.” #firstnationstiktok #IndigenousTikTok #firstnationschildren #fyp #deannekasokeo

Deanne Kasokeo

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Region: CA

Thursday 05 November 2026 23:11:43 GMT