The child welfare agency in Peguis First Nation recently disclosed data indicating that a system established through a significant 2023 agreement is functioning effectively, despite the community chief’s calls to abandon the “failing” arrangement over oversight issues. Former chief Glenn Hudson, who oversaw the agreement’s signing, disagreed with the characterization by current Chief Dr. Stan Bird, emphasizing the need for collaboration rather than rewriting or terminating the agreements.
Chief Bird, in conjunction with Southern Chiefs’ Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels, urged for the termination of the previously praised agreement, citing concerns about the system’s failure at various levels and the necessity for enhanced independent oversight to safeguard children and families. The agreement, signed in 2023 under Hudson’s leadership, marked Peguis as the first Indigenous community in Manitoba to secure a co-ordination agreement with federal and provincial governments, transferring child welfare authority to Peguis and establishing Peguis Child and Family Services.
Enabled by federal Bill C-92 passed in 2019, granting Indigenous communities the power to assume local child welfare responsibilities, Peguis CFS highlighted the success of the system, noting that a majority of children previously subject to colonial legislation and government CFS systems are now placed in culturally appropriate environments with family or loved ones. Data showcased a significant 80% reduction in the number of children entering care over four years, with 99% of the 222 children in care residing with family members, and 97% off-reserve children placed in similar familial arrangements.
Despite Chief Bird’s critique of the agreement, Peguis CFS affirmed that the system is functioning exceptionally well, publishing updated information on its website, including details on lodging complaints with the agency’s quality assurance co-ordinator. Hudson emphasized the importance of resolving concerns with Peguis CFS and maintaining the integrity of the agreement, noting that certain council members are not in favor of scrapping the arrangement.
Hudson highlighted the historic significance of the agreement in granting sovereignty over child welfare decisions to Peguis, ensuring that external entities no longer have the authority to intervene or remove children, unlike past instances such as residential schools and the Sixties Scoop. He stressed that the community had ample opportunity for input before finalizing the 2023 agreement. Additionally, Hudson is pursuing the reversal of the election results, which saw him lose to Chief Bird, in an appeal to the Federal Court of Appeal.
Manitoba Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine is set to meet with Chief Bird to address concerns raised regarding the agreement, with Bird emphasizing the need for a reevaluation of the agreement to incorporate safeguards, oversight, and accountability measures for the benefit of children and families. Bird cited the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth as a model for independent child welfare oversight and called for a similar mechanism within Peguis Child and Family Services.
Various stakeholders, including Manitoba Foster Parent Association president Jamie Pfau, expressed support for kinship and customary care models, acknowledging the importance of oversight in ensuring the well-being of children. Pfau echoed Chief Bird’s concerns about the necessity for increased oversight within Peguis’s child welfare system, emphasizing the paramount importance of protecting children and families within the community.
