On this episode of Spirit Bear Podcast, Dr. Cindy Blackstock is joined by Gabrielle Fayant and Alyssa Carpenter to discuss the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Call to Action 66 and their important work to call upon the federal government to establish multiyear funding for community-based youth organizations to deliver programs on reconciliation
On this second two-part episode of Spirit Bear Podcast, Dr. Cindy Blackstock, Amber Crowe and Dr. Dr. Barbara Fallon are joined by Dr. Ashley Vandermorris, staff paediatrician in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at SickKids and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto to continue the discussion and explore the complex mental health needs for First Nations children, youth and families in Ontario
On this two-part episode of Spirit Bear Podcast, Dr. Cindy Blackstock is joined by Amber Crowe, a member and resident of Alderville First Nation and Executive Director of Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child &Family Services, an Indigenous Child and Family Well Being Agency and Dr. Barbara Fallon, the Associate Vice-President, Research for the University of Toronto and a Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, to discuss new and emerging data from the Ontario Incidence Study on...
On February 9, 2024, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Bill C-92, An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth, and families was constitutionally valid in whole, following a challenge to the Bill's constitutionality by the Quebec Court of Appeal. On this episode of the Spirit Bear Podcast, we're fortunate to be joined by two experts, Drs. Naiomi Metallic and Hadley Friedland, to talk about this decision, some of the strengths and weaknesses of Bill C-92, and the policy i...
In light of some of the monies that are finally starting to reach First Nations communities, as well as within the overall context of Bill C-92, the delivery of effective prevention services is an important topic. While some First Nations have made great strides toward implementing prevention services, others will be starting from ground zero. On this episode of the Spirit Bear Podcast, hear from Laurence Allard, Child and Family Services Advisor with the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Hea...
On this episode of Spirit Bear's Ask an Expert Podcast, we're joined once more by Drs. Barbara Fallon and Ashley Vandermorris, and Genevieve Sansone of the Fraser Mustard Institute for Human Development Policy Bench as they discuss the importance of culturally appropriate, community-based substance use interventions in First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities.
On this episode of the Ask an Expert podcast, Cindy welcomes back Dr. Helaina Gaspard of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Democracy (IFSD) to discuss Jordan's Principle, the child-first legal rule that ensures First Nations children can access the supports they need when they need them. Tune in for a discussion on what we can learn from assessing the available data on Jordan’s Principle and what else is being done to help ensure First Nations kids are getting what they need. For the full epi...
This episode features a conversation between long-time friends and colleagues, Dr. Cindy Blackstock and Gary Mavis, RSW. Gary has spent his entire career supporting children and youth in care, as well as providing caregivers, both Indigenous and non, with the resources and training they need to provide culturally relevant, trauma-informed care to First Nations youth. Tune in to hear more about what these terms actually mean, through a discussion of Gary's experiences working with the former Fede...
We're thrilled to share this mini episode of the Ask an Expert Podcast, where Dr. Cindy Blackstock finds herself in the interviewee chair to discuss some important updates following the recent decision by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to endorse the revised Final Settlement Agreement on compensation put forward by the parties. Tune in for more information about how compensation will be delivered and what to expect going forward. Visit https://fnwitness.ca for the latest updates....
On this episode of Spirit Bear's Ask an Expert series, we are joined once more by the wonderful team of Dr. Barbara Fallon, Dr. Ashley Vandermorris, and Genevieve Sansone to talk about birth alerts. Tune in to find out more about what birth alerts are, how they impact First Nations communities, and how eliminating the practice - when done alongside other methods of keeping kids safe and healthy - could impact the number of First Nations kids in care. Visit https://fncaringsociety.com/spirit-bear...
On this episode of Spirit Bear's Ask an Expert Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Helaina Gaspard of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Democracy, who discusses some of the exciting opportunities that lie ahead for First Nations and agencies in the long-term reform of First Nations Child and Family Services (FNCFS). Ultimately, Dr. Gaspard shows how a reformed, bottom-up approach to funding can help support thriving First Nations children, families, and communities. Visit https://fncaringsociety.co...
On this episode of Spirit Bear's Ask an Expert podcast, Dr. Blackstock is joined by Dr. Barbara Fallon, Dr. Ashley Vandermorris, and Genevieve Sansone of the Fraser Mustard Institute for Human Development Policy Bench to discuss parenting capacity assessments and their usefulness in supporting First Nations, Inuit, and Metis kids and families. Tune into this episode to learn about what parenting capacity assessments are, why they are used, and whether or not they are a solid tool to be used to h...
On this episode of the Ask an Expert series, Dr. Cindy Blackstock and Sarah Clarke of Clarke Child & Family Law discuss the human rights compensation available for certain children and families who have been impacted by Canada's discrimination. On September 6, 2019, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordered Canada to pay the maximum compensation allowable under the Canadian Human Rights Act to children and families harmed by Canada's discrimination. However, as of March 2023, Canada has yet...
On this episode of the Ask an Expert series, Dr. Cindy Blackstock and Sarah Clarke of Clarke Child & Family Law discuss the ongoing case for equity for First Nations children and families at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (Tribunal). As per the Tribunal orders, Canada must stop the discrimination against First Nations children and families and prevent it from reoccurring. But what will that involve? What still needs to take place in order to remedy the harms Canada perpetrated against Fi...
Season 2 of the Spirit Bear Podcast is coming soon! The "Ask an Expert" series, hosted by Dr. Cindy Blackstock, features interviews with leaders in the field of child wellbeing and aims to dig deeper into evidence-based solutions for supporting First Nations young people and their families by dispelling myths and examining what actually works.
The students have a conversation with Dr. Veldon Coburn about the education opportunities available to First Nations on reserve, the linkages between historical and contemporary inequities in education, and how this contributes to educational outcomes for First Nations students. The students also consider the importance of balanced and truthful historical accounts being captured in school curricula and how specific systems are upheld when this information is withheld. Dr. Coburn, a member of the...
The hosts sit down with Dr. Mary Ann Corbiere to discuss Indigenous cultural and language resurgence, including some impacts of the Official Languages Act. Dr. Corbiere invites the students to consider how language repression figures into colonial assimilationist policy, and in the First Nations context, the complex relationship between language, culture and identity. Dr. Corbiere is a member of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and is an Associate Professor with the Department of Indigenous Studie...
The students invite Charlie Angus , MP for Timmins-James Bay, Ontario, to discuss the history and significance of Jordan's Principle. The Motion in support of Jordan's Principle was brought to the House of Commons in 2007 by Mr. Angus' colleague, Jean Crowder (now retired). This episode has been edited for length. For detailed information on Jordan’s Principle, please visit https://jordansprinciple.ca 0:40 - In 2007, the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society (Caring Society) and the As...
uOttawa students hear from Dr. Naiomi Metallic, Mi'gmaw professor of law at Dalhousie University, as she discusses the social, legal, and political matters of child and family and social services in First Nations communities on reserve, and the role of the law in reconciliation. Dr. Metallic comes from the Listuguj Mi’gmaw First Nation on the Gaspé Coast of Quebec, and currently holds the Chancellor’s Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. Notes...
Students interview Dr. Pamela Palmater about the Agreements in Principle signed on December 31, 2022, to 1) reform the First Nations Child and Family Services (FNCFS) Program and ensure proper implementation of Jordan’s Principle and 2) compensate those harmed by Canada’s discrimination. Jordan’s Principle ensures that First Nations children can access the supports they need, when they need them. For information about Jordan’s Principle, visit https://jordansprinciple.ca This episode was recorde...
