JUSTICE IS A GARMENT

JUSTICE IS A GARMENT

Justice is a garment prepared for residents of this planet. It is woven from billions of threads, knit together into a strong and integrated fabric. Love is the thread and it has produced a fabric of integrity. Three year old SS’s justice garment is in tatters.

Injustice occurs when countless numbers of these threads are pulled from the garment. The wearer of the garment is then uncovered and vulnerable.

SS IS MÉTIS. WHY WASN'T THAT RESPECTED?

You know the girl's story don't you? News networks across the country carried it for several months as the foster parents fought the MCFD in court for good reason. The case is saturated with cultural issues because S.S. is Métis. So is her foster mother Métis.

The term "Métis" derives originally from the French adjective metis that referred to something that was half of one thing and half of another, and then subsequently, referred to someone whose father and mother were of different races, or mixed-race. The Métis are a specific indigenous people group initially developed as the mixed-race descendants of unions between First Nations people and early European settlers.  Over time in Canada, many mixed-race people married within their own group, maintaining contact with their indigenous culture. A distinct and unique culture was developed. Métis are recognized by the Federal government as a segment of the aboriginal community of Canada.

As far as the birth parents and the foster parents were concerned, according to Métis customs, L.M and her husband RB had adopted S.S. That arrangement occurred soon after the child's birth. S.S. has lived with her mom and dad (foster parents) since she was three days old. This is her family. As I described yesterday, she was adopted by virtue of an Aboriginal Custom Adoption, a provision made possible by B.C. legislation. MCFD knows that.

This Métis heritage is a significant factor in this case.

That underscores the offense that the Métis and specifically the foster parents of S.S. feel, that no consultation occurred that demonstrated respect for either Métis culture and practice or wishes or for the Children and Family for that matter. Despite the objections of the BC Métis Federation that continues to protest the relocation of the Métis foster child to a non-Métis family in Ontario, the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) removed her from the Métis foster parents, who have cared for this little girl for the past 3 years, and who had applied for formal adoption of the child already legally adopted by Aboriginal Custom adoption.

BY ALL MEANS look up the little girl's Facebook page ‘Bring Home Baby S’, and the two websites that tell her story, bringsshome.ca or bringsshome.com.  

THEY DESPERATELY WANTED HER

Adoption of Aboriginal Children

There have been enough of these cases in the past, that long ago some legal parameters were established that would service aboriginal children's care responsibly while respecting their heritage. On the B.C. government's own website the fundamental understandings are unmistakably stated.

When Aboriginal children and teens are in need of care, the B.C. government's own standard states, Research and experience indicates that children who grow up connected to their culture do better. Aboriginal children and teens feel more at home when they live with a family that helps them stay in touch with their culture and community. (BC government's own page states this.)

The government urges competent compassionate caregivers to consider opening their homes to children in need and furthermore appeals to these people to consider adopting the children. One might ask whether there are any special provisos with respect to adoption of aboriginal children and youth? Yes there are and these too are unambiguously stated in the government's own guidelines.

With respect to this particular case of the little Métis girl named S.S. the government page makes provision for an Aboriginal Custom Adoption.  Here is the government's own statement. "Aboriginal children in care need homes with Aboriginal families whenever possible – to help them stay connected with their extended family and community." The agreed upon system or policy established between the B.C. government and the Métis or aboriginal communities is as follows. "The custom adoption process makes it possible for Aboriginal families, organizations and communities to use a culturally appropriate way of planning for Aboriginal children; respects the customs and traditions of the First Nations and/or Aboriginal community of the child; ensures Aboriginal children maintain their cultural, linguistic and spiritual identity. It’s recommend that adoptive parents get a lawyer to help them in their application to have a custom adoption recognized by the Supreme Court."

Foster mom (Métis) and foster dad enjoyed S.S. in their home and family life for three years, unnecessarily long if MCFD intended ever to move her, and during that time, foster parents had in fact conducted an Aboriginal Custom Adoption with approval of the birth parents. They had also applied for formal recognition of this adoption, but MCFD rejected this by filing orders to remove her and move her to Ontario.

Aboriginal Child and Family Development pages on the B.C. Government WebSite

BY ALL MEANS look up the little girl's Facebook page ‘Bring Home Baby S’, and the two websites that tell her story, bringsshome.ca or bringsshome.com.