Northern Caucus Reporting back to you

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Northern CaucusReporting back to you

• February 22 2008
• Beverly Clifton Percival (Gwaans) NAAFF Chair

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Disclaimers

• The work presented at the Northern Caucus
  represents a snapshot, a point in time.
  (October 31, 2007)
• We have had to work with incomplete data,
  particularly lacking information from MCFD.
• We have had a compressed time frame to complete
  this body of work within constrictions imposed by
  MCFD.

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Statement of Purpose

• Through respectful, meaningful engagement, we
  have endeavored to develop an alternative to the
  Ministry of Children and Family Development in
  the form of a Northern Engagement Plan.
• Furthermore, we are respectful of all people and
  have made efforts to hear from all parties,
  understanding that the social responsibility
  rests with all of us if our children and families
  are at the centre and this is a non-political
  process to better all peoples of the North.

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The Environment we Operate in.

• Disproportionate number of Aboriginal children in
  care.
• Crushing poverty, homelessness, poor health
  status.
• Multiple Agencies, organizations, Bands, Nations
  providing services in the child welfare arena.
• Competition for scarce dollars that results in
  lateral violence.
• First Nations and Métis exercising jurisdiction
  over their citizenry.
• Large urban population (2006 census placed 54 of
  Aboriginal people living in urban areas).
• The Aboriginal population is younger than the
  non-Aboriginal population - almost half (48) of
  the Aboriginal population consists of children
  and youth aged 24 and under (2006 census).
• Majority of services to our people provided by
  non-Aboriginal service providers with no
  accountability back to our people.

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The terms we use and what they mean.

• Delegation
• The provincial act of empowering an organization
  to provide service to a target population.
• Jurisdiction
• the power, right, or authority to interpret and
  apply the law.
• the authority of a sovereign power to govern or
  legislate.
• the power or right to exercise authority
   control.
• the limits or territory within which authority
  may be exercised.
• Decision-making
• the cognitive process of reaching a decision.
• information is required to make an informed and
  collective response.
• Representation
• the act or action of representing  the state of
  being represented.
• the action or fact of one person standing for
  another so as to have the rights and obligations
  of the person represented.
• Being supported by a group of people who
  represent their interests.
• Recognition
• the action of recognizing  the state of being
  recognized as acknowledgement especially formal
  acknowledgment of the political existence of a
  government or Nation .
• special notice or attention.

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Terms and What they Mean Continued

• Reconciliation
• to restore to friendship or harmony ltreconciled
  the factionsgt.
• settle resolve ltreconcile differencesgt.
• the means of reconciling Aboriginal interests
  with the Crown and when necessary this may
  require change on the Crowns part and Ours.
• Respect
• an act of giving particular attention
  Consideration.
• high or special regard  Esteem.
• the quality or state of being esteemed.
• Accountability
• the quality or state of being accountable
  especially, an obligation or willingness to
  accept responsibility or to account for one's
  actions ltpublic officials lacking
  accountabilitygt.
• accountability is a group concept as well as
  individual .
• Consensus
• general agreement  Unanimity.
• the judgment arrived at by most of those
  concerned ltthe consensus was to go aheadgt.
• group solidarity in sentiment and belief.
• looks at the greater good and accommodating all
  perspectives to find a solution.

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What we ARE doing

• We ARE operating with the best interests of the
  child in mind while respecting and acknowledging
  the importance of family and community.
• We ARE dialoguing with organizations, communities
  and Nations to ascertain your needs.
• We ARE, with your support, guidance and
  direction, developing a plan of action to meet
  your stated needs.
• We ARE solution oriented, exploring ways and
  means to support and improve what we currently
  have in our communities.
• We ARE advocating very strongly and on all fronts
  for
• TRUE cultural relevance and cogency.
• LOCALLY driven decisions.
• LOCALLY driven solutions.

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What we are NOT doing.

• We are NOT competing with our service delivery
  partners for dollars.
• We are NOT accepting Regionalization as set forth
  by the Crown.
• We are NOT establishing NAAFF as a service
  provider.
• We will NOT engage in activities that will
  further divide us.

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QUESTIONS?

• MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
• GWAANS (Beverly Clifton Percival)
• Northern Caucus
• February 22 23 2008
• Prince George, BC