Child Advocate Cindy Blackstock awarded damages

Cindy Blackstock awarded $20,000 in human rights ruling against Harper Government

Ottawa Canada
– June 2015 –  SOURCE



Dr. Cindy Blackstock, an Aboriginal child welfare
advocate and President of the First Nations Child and Family Caring
Society, has been vindicated by a recent ruling from the Canadian Human
Rights Tribunal, which found that a federal government official
"retaliated" against her for advocating views that are contrary to those
of the Harper Government.




The Tribunal has ordered the Department of Aboriginal Affairs to pay
$20,000 to Dr. Blackstock for pain and suffering due to the behaviour of
David McArthur, a senior government bureaucrat and former special
assistant to then-Minister of Aboriginal Affairs Chuck Strahl. The
dispute stems from a 2009 incident in which Mr. McArthur barred Dr.
Blackstock from a gathering with First Nations chiefs from Ontario.
Blackstock has also been the subject of federal government surveillance
due to advocacy for First Nations children's rights.

"I was shocked when I realized that in a democracy such as Canada our
federal government thinks it is right to violate the privacy of citizens
who have a view that is different from theirs," Blackstock said in an
interview. "By simply working towards a more fair and just Canada for
all children, it seems that the federal government targeted me as a
person of concern. We have to ask ourselves 'who else is being targeted
and for what purpose?'"

For years, Dr. Blackstock has been a central figure in a long-standing
battle with the federal government over aboriginal child welfare. She
plans to donate the money that she has been awarded to various
children's charities.

The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (FNCFCS) is the only
national organization serving Aboriginal children and families in
Canada. As national partners, UFCW Canada and FNCFCS are actively
collaborating on projects to advance equality, diversity, education, and
social and economic justice for First Nations children, youth, and
families.