Muskwasis –
Alberta’s First Nations will today sign an agreement with Ottawa that will give them autonomy to manage child welfare.
South of Edmonton, the Lewis Bull Tribe of Muskwatis, Alberta became the first in the province to do so.
First Nation says this is a bilateral agreement with the federal government and states are not involved.
Louis Bull’s Child Welfare Organization last year Alberta was uncooperative and unwilling to sign the deal.
Ottawa passed prevention-focused legislation in 2020 to ensure families have the support they need to stay together.
Saskatchewan’s Cowess First Nation is the first to sign the deal in 2021.and dozens across the country are waiting.
The Wabaseemoong Independent Nations of Ontario and the Peguis First Nation of Manitoba have also signed agreements with Ottawa and its provincial governments.
This report by the Canadian Press was first published on February 1, 2023.
