Thread by @christibelcourt

These three young men all cousins aged out of child welfare after 8-9 years. Tonight we made banners for tomorrow’s #BringOurChildrenHome day of action in Winnipeg, Vancouver, Kelowna, a William’s Lake and Toronto.

These is Tamara’s son Lee and his two cousins. All are lovely intelligent young men. They spoke to me at length about their experiences as wards of CFS and the trauma it caused. They talked about being moved around from hotels to foster homes. Each on average 9 times.

They all wanted to go home and their mom’s were stable. Tamara’s sister had six children, all apprehended. Her daughter who would be 23 this year committed suicide at the age of 12. She was apprehended from her dad’s home when the mom and dad were in a custody battle.

Rather than give her daughter to the mom who was stable they apprehended her and told the child she would be made a crown ward on Jan 6. She hanged herself on Jan. 2.

CFS told the mother “you need time to grieve” and apprehended her other children. She had a daughter later on and they apprehended the baby at birth from the hospital.

She said did everything CFS told her. Completed courses. Etc. They wouldn’t return them. Her aunt was able to become the foster parent of her children and she was able to visit them. So she said rather than risk them being removed from her aunts for challenging CFS she gave up

She told me she felt it was better to at least know where they are and have access and knew that trying to challenge CFS came with possible consequences for her and her children.

Two of her children have now aged out. They both came home to live with her the day they turned 18.

Her sons, Tamara’s nephews spoke to me about being separated and bounced around foster homes and hotels. They said it felt like being in jail. That they were not wanted. They talked about labels put on them and one adult calling them “CFS kids”.

They talked about how they had no freedom like “normal” kids who didn’t need government permission for things like sleep overs. Where every aspect of their life was scheduled and controlled.

Lee, Tamara’s oldest boy talked about how the cousins have now all become close but it took a while to get connected after they aged out. He said once he was in a hotel elevator at the Weston (which he said was used by CFS as a warehouse) he said he saw his cousin in the elevator

But the boys were too afraid to say hi or speak to each other in case the workers separated them so they just looked at each other.

Tamara’s middle boy spoke about how he was apprehended at the age of four. He was told for 2-1/2 years that his mother and brother had died and told by CFS that they were looking for a family to adopt him out.

He said he had a lot of trauma from being told that only to find out they were alive. Then they had a few visits and then visits were cut off and he was never told why.

He said he didn’t see his mom again until just this past May. Both him and Lee have only been allowed minimal contact with their younger brother.

Tamara’s middle boy has told Advocates and workers he wants to go home to his mom. He is 14. And yet for reasons that defy common sense they say he can’t. At one point he was told by a supervisor at the agency that his “bad behaviour” was what they based their decision on.

He was told that his “bad behaviour” could disrupt his mother’s (Tamara’s) good home and risk putting the “whole family” (meaning Tamara her husband and their 8 year old daughter) into care.

Meeting these boys and hearing them speak reminded me of hearing residential school testimonies, of the loss of families, parents and siblings. What has really changed?

Tamara Malcolm’s story needs to be told and understood in the context of the Canadian system that has never taken a break in 150 years of stealing Indigenous children.

She is a good mom and a good person. I know her. She never should have had her kids taken let alone been fighting for 10 years to get them back. It’s a crime.

This is an ongoing genocide. It’s happening right now and it has to stop.

If you are in Winnipeg, Vancouver, Kelowna, Toronto or William’s Lake tomorrow, please come out and show your support for Indigenous children and families. It’s important to have physical bodies on the ground.

And follow @TamaraMStory to read her 10 year harrowing account that is on going as she tries to get her kids back from CFS despite being told at one point by workers “you should just give up” “these are our kids now”