Women want the children back

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A conference at a reserve in Hobbema stirred up a lot of questions and feelings. Tears were shed as grandparents, parents, and other relatives recounted how children from the reserve were apprehended by the province's social services.

"We'd like our kids to come home," said Tammy Crier, member of the newly formed Women's Support Group on the Samson Reserve in Hobbema.

"We want our kids back in our community to learn our culture and to live amongst family and relatives," she said.

The Women's Support Group has seven members and was formed to address child care issues in the community. On April 20 and 21, the bingo hall on the Samson Reserve was the location for the conference.

The group wants the province to return 200 kids to the reserve. The children who live off the reserve are in permanent guardianship to the province. According to the group, another 200 are in temporary foster care.

"On June, 20, 1997, chief and council signed an agreement that extended family would be notified before the children were apprehended," said Crier. The group feels frustrated because grandparents and extended family were not contacted prior to most apprehensions.

"Many of the children became wards of the province, without social services notifying extended family members on the reserve. No one called me," said a grandparent at the meeting.

"While intoxicated and on drugs, the parents were told to sign documents that allowed social services to take the children," she said.

The conference scheduled a sweetgrass ceremony, lunch and an awareness walk. Parents and relatives from the Louis Bull, Erminskin and the Montana reserves were also represented during the conference. The chief of the reserve, Florence Buffalo also attended the conference.

"We have to all work together to find a solution to this problem," said Buffalo.

"We are told to take courses on self-esteem and to go to a drug and treatment centre. I've gone to so many courses I could even facilitate my own drug and alcohol treatment conference," commented one of the fathers whose child is in permanent care of the province.

"They keep telling me if I do this or if I do that I will get my kids back. I've done everything they told me to do and I still do not have my kids back," he said.

According to the group, parents not only lose their kids when an apprehension occurs, they also lose their house that was given to them by the band.

"I was told that I could not get my kids back because I did not have a house," said another man.

"I had to move in with my parents when they took my house away, so how do I get my house and kids back?" he asked.

There are a lot of good foster homes out there, said Flora Northwest, a concerned grandparent at the conference.

"We are not saying anything against anyone, we just want to get our grandchildren and children back," she said.

"I'm certainly looking into the situation," said Peyasu Wuttunee, director of Family Support Services for the Child Wellness Society at the Samson reserve. "We are willing to listen to everyone and we are here to work with you," he said to the crowd.