FSIN calls for stop to non-First Nation adoptions of FN kids

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) is calling for an immediate end to provincial adoptions of First Nations children into non-First Nations homes in Saskatchewan.

FSIN made the call in response to Premier Scott Moe’s apology for the Sixties Scoop, a practice that saw approximately 20,000 Indigenous children taken from their homes and placed in non-Indigenous homes between the 1950s and 1980s.

“The apology is welcomed, however, there must be action along with these words,” FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said in a statement.

“Our First Nations children are still being ripped away from their families, communities and culture. This needs to stop immediately.”

Both Cameron and Vice Chief David Pratt are advocating immediate reforms to the child welfare system, saying First Nations children should be under First Nations jurisdiction.

“The current system continues to fail our children and we require immediate reforms that will place jurisdiction and accountability into our First Nations communities,” Pratt said in the statement.

“This is what is desperately needed to begin the healing process and bring our families back together, while repairing the damage that has been done by the child welfare system.”

Cameron added the FSIN won’t rest until a First Nations-led child welfare system was established in the province.

He said such a system would focus on family support, language and culture.

“We look forward to asserting our First Nations control over our First Nations children,” he said.