BC Métis Federation sent a letter to Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) due to a lack of response about information related to Métis children and family services in BC.
There continues to be a number of members and their families affected by MCFD services and BC Métis Federation is advocating to make sure our members are supported.
This is an important issue and efforts will continue to be advanced.
Monday, April 30th, 2018
Re: Notice of Action
Dear Deputy Minister Bond and Ms. May,
On April 15th, 2018 I wrote to you in the hope that you would, in the interests of truth and reconciliation, as well as your Ministry’s purported commitment to respecting Indigenous culture, accommodate our requirement for access to all files of BC Métis Federation children in the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD).
It is disappointing and regrettable you have chosen to disregard our request for the required information on our members.
Your inaction has once again compromised our children in your care. We of course would have preferred a cooperative arrangement but our practice standards were drafted in part, based on decades of case studies and strategies used by MCFD to manipulate situations to circumvent legislation. That being the case, we have contingency plans for such situations.
Though it would have been in the child’s best interests to have worked in concert with your organization, we are now in the process of moving forward to resolve the tragic situation created by MCFD.
Should you wish to reconsider your position, you may contact either myself or the BC Métis Federation’s Director of Child Welfare.
We at the BC Métis Federation believe that this crisis could have been averted had the NDP’s position in opposition not changed when elected to form the current government. I trust you would agree that a confrontation would be contrary to the best interests of the child and damaging to your government’s tenuous position. The optics of government ministries (MCFD) attacking an Indigenous institution exercising its constitutional rights would further call into question the sincerity of your government’s claims of Indigenous sensitivity and support.
Please be advised that I have taken the liberty of copying Premier Horgan and Dr. Weaver on this letter so that there is no misunderstanding as to our commitment, intentions, and actions. We have also engaged services to document, advise, and aid in bringing this landmark case to a successful conclusion for the Métis Community.
Sincerely,
Keith Henry
President
cc: Rene Therrien, Vice-President
Joe Desjarlais, Secretary
Betty Fisher, Treasurer
Baillie Redfern, Director
JJ Lavallee, Director
Cindy Wilgosh, Director
Earl Belcourt, Director
Rt. Honourable J. Horgan
Rt. Honourable A. Weaver
[ilink url=”https://bcmetis.com/wp-content/uploads/BCMF-to-MCFD-Bond-and-May-ORIGINAL-FOLLOWUP-FINAL-April-30th-2018.pdf” style=”download”]Click here to download the letter as a PDF.[/ilink]
