English - Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

A. A PROCESS OF RECONCILIATION
In 1996, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples articulated the
need for a “renewed relationship based on the principles of mutual
respect, sharing and mutual responsibility.” Reconciliation is a
process that moves Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians
from a relationship based on colonization to a relationship based
on self-determination, equality and respect.
Cindy Blackstock and others developed four phases of
reconciliation with respect to child welfare.
The four phases Blackstock proposes have been adapted in
the paragraphs below to address both child welfare and family
violence.
Truth Telling
> > Begin with a full and truthful accounting of child welfare respecting
Indigenous children, youth, and families. This would include identifying
past and current harms experienced by Indigenous children, families, and
communities, and must be told from both non-Indigenous and Indigenous
perspectives. Truth telling gives voice to, and recognizes, past harm, obliges it
to be heard, and sets the scene for restoration.
> > Require non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples to acknowledge and accept
responsibility for redressing the wrongs done to Indigenous children, youth,
families, and communities, regardless of their degree of direct involvement
Acknowledging
> > Recognize that child welfare practices imposed on Indigenous peoples, and
the values that guide them, are not the right or best path to continue to follow
> > Recognize the practices of Indigenous peoples in raising and protecting
families, and the values that guide them
> > Adopt equality, fairness, and balance as essential guidelines to child welfare
> > Respect the intrinsic right of Indigenous peoples to define their own cultural
identity
> > Bring alive a new understanding about balanced and harmonious families
between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples