CLE Online

Thursday, May 21, 2020

9:00 am - 9:15 am
Welcome and Introduction

Romona Baxter, BSW — Executive Director, Nzen’man’ Child and Family Development Centre, Lytton
Teresa Sheward — Program Lawyer, The Continuing Legal Education Society of BC, Vancouver

9:15 am - 10:30 am
Bill C92: Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families

• overview
• definitions
• preamble

Ardith Walpetko We’dalx Walkem, QC — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Chilliwack

National Standards

• • best interests of the Indigenous child
  • conflicts
  • trauma informed practice
  • what difference will it make to follow national standards (including areas where there may be less than provincial laws)

Moderator: Romona Baxter, BSW — Executive Director, Nzen’man’ Child and Family Development Centre, Lytton
Dr. Hadley Friedland — Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, Edmonton
Dr. Sarah Morales — Acting Director, JD/JID Program, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, Victoria

10:30 am - 11:00 am BREAK

11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Empowering Indigenous Jurisdiction and Laws

• empowering provisions
• procedure
• limitations
• interactions with other laws—Indigenous and Provincial/Territories

Moderator: Ardith Walpetko We’dalx Walkem, QC — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Chilliwack
Dr. Hadley Friedland — Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, Edmonton
Dr. Sarah Morales — Acting Director, JD/JID Program, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, Victoria
Crystal Reeves — Mandell Pinder LLP, Vancouver

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm LUNCH BREAK

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Best Interests of Indigenous Children and Tools to Empower Indigenous Community Involvement

Considering attachment in the long term

Dr. Peter Choate — Professor, Child Studies and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Community and Education, Mount Royal University, Calgary

Costs of failing to ensure attachment to culture

Halie Kwanxwa'loga Bruce — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Chilliwack

What should best interests mean in Indigenous contexts?

• • ways to keep children culturally connected to their Indigenous culture
  • empowering Indigenous community involvement: access orders; file review; complaints; voice of children and youth—role of Indigenous communities
  • tools/challenges to help Indigenous children/communities
    

Moderator: Romona Baxter, BSW — Executive Director, Nzen’man’ Child and Family Development Centre, Lytton
Dawn Johnson — Children and Families Policy Analyst for the First Nations Leadership Council, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, Vancouver
Joanna Recalma — Barrister & Solicitor, Nanaimo

Friday, May 22, 2020

9:00 am - 10:30 am
Interaction Between Laws: Indigenous/Federal/Provincial or Territorial Child Welfare Laws

• application of Provincial/Territorial laws to the point of conflict
• differences or amended standards: notice; disclosure; placement; review; standards; other
• areas where it may be good practice to pass laws as "catch alls" or address gaps in legislation in the interim while developing your own law

Dr. Sarah Morales — Acting Director, JD/JID Program, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, Victoria
Ardith Walpetko We’dalx Walkem, QC — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Chilliwack

• impact on delegated agencies

Dawn Johnson — Children and Families Policy Analyst for the First Nations Leadership Council, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, Vancouver
Dr. Sarah Morales — Acting Director, JD/JID Program, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, Victoria
Ardith Walpetko We’dalx Walkem, QC — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Chilliwack

• case study

Joanna Recalma — Barrister & Solicitor, Nanaimo

Moderator: Romona Baxter, BSW — Executive Director, Nzen’man’ Child and Family Development Centre, Lytton

10:30 am - 11:00 am BREAK

11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Facilitators Round Table

• identifying the opportunites and challenges in the new legislation
• best opportunities and challenges

Romona Baxter, BSW — Executive Director, Nzen’man’ Child and Family Development Centre, Lytton
Halie Kwanxwa'loga Bruce — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Chilliwack
Dr. Hadley Friedland — Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, Edmonton
Dawn Johnson — Children and Families Policy Analyst for the First Nations Leadership Council, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, Vancouver
Joanna Recalma — Barrister & Solicitor, Nanaimo
Crystal Reeves — Mandell Pinder LLP, Vancouver
Ardith Walpetko We’dalx Walkem, QC — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Chilliwack

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm LUNCH BREAK

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Planning to Empower Indigenous Jurisdiction

• how to support re-empowering Indigenous Nations in articulating their own laws for child welfare
• reflect ongoing laws based in their traditions—or a new iteration?
• steps and considerations

Moderator: Ardith Walpetko We’dalx Walkem, QC — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Chilliwack
Dr. Hadley Friedland — Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, Edmonton
Dr. Sarah Morales — Acting Director, JD/JID Program, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, Victoria
Crystal Reeves — Mandell Pinder LLP, Vancouver