First Nations Leadership Council recognizes the cessation of “Birth Alerts” as first step of many to end the traumatizing practice of hospital removals

News Release           

September 16th, 2019

First Nations Leadership Council recognizes the cessation of “Birth Alerts” as first step of many to end the traumatizing practice of hospital removals 

Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories/Vancouver: 

The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) applauds the Ministry of Children and Family Development for their decision and announcement that they will be ending the longstanding practice of “Birth Alerts,” but is clear that this is only the beginning of what is necessary to end the traumatizing practice of hospital removals for First Nations children and families.

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The Next Session of Parliament Must Prioritize Protection and Fulfillment of the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples

September 13, 2019

OPEN LETTER TO ALL CANDIDATES IN THE FEDERAL ELECTION
The Next Session of Parliament Must Prioritize Protection and Fulfillment of the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and numerous reports by international human rights bodies have all documented the profound and tragic harms that have resulted from Canada’s colonial laws and policies. Ongoing adverse impacts include denial of Indigenous systems of governance, jurisdiction and laws; dispossession of lands, territories and resources; the ongoing tragedy of Indigenous lives brutally cut short; essential opportunities denied to Indigenous children and youth; and the lack of adequate financial and other assistance to maintain and revitalize Indigenous cultures, traditions and languages in the face of continued threats.

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First Nations Leadership Council welcomes the coming into force of an act respecting First Nations, Inuit And Métis Children, youth and families

News Release 

SEPTEMBER 9, 2019

FIRST NATIONS LEADERSHIP COUNCIL WELCOMES THE COMING INTO FORCE OF AN ACT RESPECTING FIRST NATIONS, INUIT AND MÉTIS CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES

Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories/Vancouver: 

The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is pleased with the announcement today that will see the full bringing into force of Bill C-92, An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families on January 1st, 2020. The coming into force of this Act recognizes the inherent jurisdiction over children and families that First Nations have never given up, and a long overdue change that First Nations in British Columbia have been waiting for to address the crisis that exists in child welfare for First Nations children and families.

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First Nations Leadership Council applauds landmark CHRT ruling for compensation for First Nations children and families who were unfairly discriminated against in child welfare system

News Release
September 6th, 2019

First Nations Leadership Council applauds landmark CHRT ruling for compensation for First Nations children and families who were unfairly discriminated against in child welfare system


Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories/Vancouver:

The First Nations Leadership Council applauds today’s ruling by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) ordering compensation for First Nations children and youth removed from their homes by the child welfare system, and the parents and grandparents affected, including in cases where children were denied essential medical and other services. The First Nations Leadership Council views this as a major victory for human rights that must be respected by the Government of Canada, and will have a major impact in BC.

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UBCIC Concerned that Recognition of Rights Policy for Treaty Negotiations in BC Privileges Only Some First Nations

News Release

September 5, 2019

Recognition of Rights Policy for Treaty Negotiations in BC is Fundamentally Flawed

(Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, B.C. – September 5, 2019) Today, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) was disappointed to learn that BC, Canada, and First Nation Chief Negotiators in the BC Treaty Commission (BCTC) Process have finalized their Recognition and Reconciliation of Rights Policy for Treaty Negotiations in BC (the “Policy”) despite the serious infringements of human rights that it poses.

 

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143 Years of Sex-Based Discrimination Through the Indian Act Finally Comes to an End After Decades of Advocacy

News Release
August 19, 2019

143 Years of Sex-Based Discrimination Through the Indian Act Finally Comes to an End After Decades of Advocacy

(Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, B.C. – August 19, 2019) For over 143 years the status and registration provisions of the Indian Act have been wielded as a colonial tool of assimilation to undermine the cultural integrity and legal status of Indigenous peoples. For decades First Nations women and their descendants have had to fight a long and winding battle to dismantle the sex-based discrimination that has been perpetuated by these provisions.

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Opposition to Imperial Metals’ Proposed Mining Permit near Manning Provincial Park Grows

                   

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2019  

 

CONTACTS:
Tom Uniack, Washington Wild, (206) 369-1252
Will Patric, Rivers Without Borders, (360) 379-2811
Kai Nagata, Dogwood, (604) 359-1828
Ellena Neel, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, (604) 762-1812


Opposition to Imperial Metals’ Proposed Mining Permit near Manning Provincial Park Grows

BC Businesses and conservation and recreation organizations join international coalition of 140 opponents to proposed mining in Skagit Headwaters

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Today, an international coalition of 140 conservation recreation and wildlife groups as well as local elected officials, businesses and Tribes and First Nations continues to grow to a proposed mining permit in the Skagit Headwaters. A letter signed by 30 British Columbia organizations and local businesses was the latest evidence of opposition to Imperial Metals’ proposed mining permit near Manning and Skagit Provincial Parks in the Skagit Headwaters.

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UBCIC, David Dennis and Frank Paul Society Challenge Racist Abstinence Exclusion for Liver Transplants

News Release
August 13, 2019

UBCIC, David Dennis and Frank Paul Society Challenge Racist Abstinence Exclusion for Liver Transplants

(Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, B.C. – August 13, 2019) This morning, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), David Dennis and the Frank Paul Society jointly filed a formal complaint at the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. The complaint challenges the lawfulness of the Abstinence Policy that deprives persons with alcohol use disorder of eligibility for liver transplants until they have abstained from alcohol use for a period of six months.

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