$1B class action suit related to child welfare system filed against Manitoba government, Attorney General of Canada
A $1 billion class-action lawsuit has been filed in the Court of King’s Bench against the Government of Manitoba and the Attorney General of Canada related to the child welfare system in Manitoba.
The suit has been filed by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) and the First Nations Family Advocate Office, alleging the system failed the children, their families and their First Nations.
“Before colonization, it would be unthinkable to remove a child from their family, nation, lands and culture. The lawsuit is necessary to hold governments accountable for the harm they have caused for decades,” said Cornell McLean, the deputy Grand Chief of the AMC.
Cora Morgan is the First Nations Family Advocate with the AMC and she said since she took the role seven years ago, the consistent message she has heard is the system is breaking the bond between mother and child.
“We work to repair the harms of the child welfare system. We work to reunite families. We have been successful at reuniting or preventing the apprehension of over 4,300 children. However, there are still more children in the system. There is so much damage that has been done that we cannot undo,” said Morgan.
She said the outcomes for children in care include homelessness, incarceration and mental health issues, negative aspects she says most Canadians don’t have to deal with.
“This is very important that we are taking these steps because it’s finally giving a voice to those youth and to those parents and to our nations. Because our most vulnerable citizens have been stolen for decades, arguably over 150 years we’ve had the issue of stolen children in this land.”
Morgan said in this age of reconciliation, there needs to be accountability and the systems should have been fixed a long time ago, adding no more damage can be done.
The lawsuit covers children living off reserve going back to 1992 who were apprehended by Child and Family Services and placed into foster care in Manitoba.
The time period marks the end of the Sixties Scoop settlement process but lawyers for the plaintiffs said it's also when governments were given fair warning about the impacts of the child welfare system.
The Misipawistik Cree Nation, Black River First Nation and Pimicikamak Cree Nation and three people who've had involvement with the system are also named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
"I'm bringing this case because I believe that no child should grow up away from the love and care of their family,” said Roberta Godin, who’s one of the plaintiffs, during a news conference held by AMC.
Another one of the plaintiffs, Amber Laplante, spoke of her own experiences.
"When I was in care I was exposed to violence and trauma,” Laplante told the news conference. “I was always treated as a problem and never as a person. I never received the support I needed to heal."
The legal team for the lawsuit said there are over 11,000 children in the child and family services system and of those children, approximately 80 per cent are First Nations. They added that 61 per cent of children in the northern authority and 75 per cent of children in the southern authority were taken into the system off-reserve, which falls under provincial jurisdiction.
This move comes after the federal government settled two class-action cases related to the child welfare system with the Assembly of First Nations that totalled $20 billion.
Rochelle Squires, Manitoba’s Families Minister, told reporters the government is aware of the lawsuit but couldn't comment on it specifically as it's now before the courts.
"But what I can say is our government recognizes there is a need for transformation in the CFS system,” Squires said. “That is why we have eliminated the practice of issuing birth alerts and have since achieved a 65 per cent reduction in the apprehension of newborns."
“We are committed to achieving systemic reform so that families can be reunified where possible and that we can prevent children from coming into care in the first place.”
CTV News has reached out to the federal government and is awaiting a response.
- With files from CTV News' Josh Crabb
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.