First Nations advocate opposes exclusion of voluntary placements in Manitoba CFS count

A First Nations family advocate is questioning the province's decision to exclude children voluntarily placed in Child and Family Services care when counting the total number of kids in care.

News broke Wednesday that Manitoba is making the change, with government officials saying they are concerned the province is being unfairly compared to other provinces.

• Manitoba changes how it counts kids in care, abruptly reducing number

Cora Morgan, First Nations Family Advocate for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said the decision is "ridiculous."

"It's convenient leading into an election," she said.

Voluntary placement agreements between families and Manitoba's CFS are not voluntary at all, Morgan said.

"There's kind of this [idea] that's provided by [Manitoba's Minister of Family Services Kerri Irvin-Ross] that's, 'Oh, it's just a matter of going back and getting your children.' If I put my children in care for a month because I was really struggling … there's no way I'm going to get those kids back easily as it's portrayed," she said.

Morgan said she works with a number of women who have "basically been blackmailed" into signing voluntary placement agreements.

"CFS has shown up at their door and said, 'You can either sign off on this voluntary placement agreement or we're going to apprehend your children and if you sign … you're going to get more visitiation with your children,'" Morgan said.

"It's CFS showing up at their door and giving them an ultimatum."

'I don't buy it'

Irvin-Ross said the purpose of the adjustment is so Manitoba can be accurately compared to other provinces that don't count voluntary placement agreements in their overall totals of children in provincial care.

Morgan offered a curt response to the explanation: "I don't buy it."

Further, Morgan said she's seen women fight for years to regain custody of their children after they've signed voluntary placement agreements, forced to attend programming she said does not adequately address root causes that lead to CFS involvement in the first place.

"At the end of the day, there's just broad suggestions or recommendations that people have to do," she said, using one month of addictions counselling as an example.

"There's ample opportunity to do things that are preventative … never mind just trying to fix the numbers so it doesn't look so bad."

Morgan said she is asking for changes that indigenous people in Canada have been requesting for years.

"[Kerri Irvin-Ross] talked about the provincial government and the federal government are … looking at a new funding model," Morgan said. 

"There's no mention of the inclusion of First Nations people in the design of the system, the design of the funding model. That's all we've always asked for, was to be able to be involved in making the decisions that affect our children."

Morgan insisted parents surrender all control over their children's lives when they voluntarily place them in CFS care.

"They don't have the ability to make decisions based on their children when they're in these voluntary placement agreements," she said. 

"So, I can't understand why you wouldn't count those numbers because at the end of the day, the province has full control over these children."