An average of one baby a day is taken away from their family and put into Manitoba social care, according to new figures from the province’s First Nations children’s advocate.
The practice is “the most damaging thing that you can do” to a child, according to watchdog Cora Morgan.
Per capita, Manitoba has more children in provincial care than any other province, with more than 10,000 children under the government’s watch. As many as 40 newborns in a single month have been taken from their mothers, Morgan said.
These displaced infants, who are disproportionately aboriginal, are typically placed in shelters.
“The baby that was taken on Monday was put in a shelter as well, and a baby that was taken yesterday afternoon was also put in a shelter,” Morgan told CTV News Winnipeg.
Between 318 and 388 Manitoba babies were placed in provincial care each year between 2008 and 2014, a figure more than double that of neighbouring prairie provinces.
One mother, who cannot be identified by law, told CTV Winnipeg that she had her child taken away at the age of 14. She’s taken parenting courses and been through drug tests, but – now in her thirties – her visits are still regulated.
“I can’t sleep here, sleep with them, wake up with them. And that’s horrible,” said the mother, who will soon take her case to court. “I just want to be a parent without the system involved anymore.”
According to Ian Wishart, a Conservative MP and family services critic, the staggering number of children in the government’s care continues to rise, with 10,852 held by the province as of April 2015.
“It’s actually a national embarrassment,” Wishart said.
While Kerri Irvin-Ross, Manitoba’s family services minister says apprehensions are a last resort, she insists that social workers are acting in the best interest of children.
“It’s heart wrenching to think of a child being removed from a mother,” said Irvin-Ross. “However, in some instances, it has to happen because we are not confident the child will be safe in their care.”
She said that the problem largely stems from Canada’s abusive history toward First Nations people.
“How did we end up in this situation? We ended up in this situation because of residential schools, and colonization, racism, and poverty plays a significant factor in this.”
Premier Greg Selinger said prevention programs are being employed to keep kids out of the system. If infants are apprehended, social workers try to “get them back home as quickly as possible,” the premier said.
Manitoba recently became the first Canadian province to apologize for targeting First Nations children in the 1960s and relocating them into non-aboriginal families – a practice dubbed the ’60s Scoop.
With files from The Canadian Press
