Truth and Reconciliation
Child and Family Services of Grand Erie (CFSGE) acknowledges that the land on which we live and work is the traditional territory of many First Nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Six Nations of the Grand River. This land is the ancestral home of the Anishinaabe, Attawandaron, and Haudenosaunee peoples.
We acknowledge that we are settlers on these lands.
We recognize the profound and ongoing impacts of the child welfare system on Indigenous children, families, and communities. This acknowledgment serves as a commitment to reflection, accountability, and action as we work toward reconciliation and meaningful allyship.
CFSGE also acknowledges that we operate on lands covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant—an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and the Anishinaabe, and allied Nations, to share and care for the lands and resources of the Great Lakes region in a spirit of peace, respect, and responsibility.
In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada issued a number of Calls to Action, some of which were specifically related to child welfare. CFSGE is committed to embedding these into our operational policies and practices. You can read these here:
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Child Welfare Calls to Action.
In October 2017, on behalf of non-Indigenous Children’s Aid Societies of Ontario, the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies issued an apology to Indigenous families, children, and communities for our role in the Sixties Scoop and our continued role in the present day over-representation of Indigenous children in our system. You can read it here: OACAS Official Apology – October 3 2017.
In November 2020, the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services announced its plans for the Modernization of the Child Welfare Sector. It included an outline of its Indigenous Approach and Pillars as part of those plans for re-design. See them here: Child Welfare Redesign – Indigenous Pillars & Approach to Modernization – Nov 2020
Learning Materials
What Is Smudging?
Smudging is a sacred Indigenous practice that involves burning traditional medicines—most commonly sage, sweetgrass, and cedar—to purify a person, space, or object. It is practiced for a variety of reasons, including personal reflection, healing, ceremony, and spiritual cleansing.
While traditionally practiced by many First Nations, smudging is also now embraced by some Métis, Inuit, and non-Indigenous individuals as part of their spiritual or cultural practice.
Michelle Thomas, Indigenous Cultural Safety Coordinator with the Grand River Community Health Centre (GRCHC) has prepared Four Modules to give folks an opportunity to experience a comprehensive overview of historical to contemporary matters that affect all people. Each module takes approximately 45 minutes and can be accessed via the GRCHC link by clicking on the individual modules below:
- Module One: Doctrine of Discovery
- Module Two: Dehumanization
- Module Three: Residential Schools
- Module Four: Inter-generational Impacts
Videos about Land Acknowledgements
- * In Our Voices: Land Acknowledgement – YouTube
- * Land acknowledgement | Baroness von Sketch Show – YouTube
Books (non-fiction and novels) – *= Canadian content
- * 21 Things you May Not Know about the Indian Act by Bob Joseph
- * The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King
- * Decolonizing Trauma Work by Renee Linklater
- * Seven Fallen Feathers: All our Relations by Tanya Talaga
- * Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga
- * From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle
- * The History of the County of Brant, F. Douglas Reville
- * Good Minds – First Nations, Métis and Inuit Books on Residential Schools
Information & Videos Specific to Residential Schools / Child Welfare / Reconciliation
- Blood Memory – A story of removal and return
- We Were Children – A movie based on the life of a young Indigenous girl who grew up in the residential schools
- Unrepentant – Kevin Annett and Canada’s Genocide – il genocidio del Canada – Describes the personal story of Kevin Annett when, as a reverend, he clashed with the United Church over his interest in the events that took place in Canadian residential schools and the genocide committed by religious leaders of these schools, where hundreds of thousands of Native children have been locked up, after being kidnapped from their families, and forced to speak only English, to forget their culture and to profess the Christian religion.
- Picking up the Pieces – The Making of the Witness Blanket
Videos specific to Treaties
It is important for each and every one of us to acknowledge that we are all treaty members.
- Click here to watch a video called “Sacred Trust” produced by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
- Click here to check out this CBC documentary about the history of Indigenous peoples in the prairies and their relationship with the government.
- Click here to watch a short video of Maurice Switzer talking about treaty recognition as a key element of the reconciliation process.
- To see and hear more Indigenous speakers share their knowledge about the importance of treaties, treaty relationship
- s and right in Ontario visit https://bit.ly/34WO8HQ.
Information Specific to Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women,
