Office of the Ombudsman and Child and Youth Advocate, NB: 97 pages.
New Brunswick Ombudsman and Child and Youth Advocate Bernard Richard has recommended sweeping changes to the child welfare system on First Nations, reducing the number of agencies to three from the current 11. He called for the establishment of a single First Nations Child and Family Services Office that would provide financial and administrative functions to the three agencies, and made recommendations related to funding, governance, service delivery standards, training and accountability. This report delves into the deep-seated issues affecting First Nations communities, such as poverty, drug addictions, domestic violence, and the erosion of the Mi'kmaq and Maliseet cultures and languages.