b'Grand Chief Abram explains that thisSocial Development Department, Underneed to be asked if they want a child Bill will make it easier for First Nationsthis system, the Anishinabek First Nationswelfare law and, if they do, what that law to take more control of their childare the lawmakers and are responsible towill look like. Communities will need welfare, whether thats through this Bill orensure the delivery of child and familyto answer questions about what kind of implementing their own jurisdiction. Ifservices for Anishinabek families. Therepowers of authority they do andyou make your own rules, you can reallyare 21 Anishinabek First Nations thatdont want. restructure how child welfare works. Ifchose to enact the Anishinabek NationGo ahead and implement your you are still going to have an agreementChild Well-Being Law. jurisdiction, which cannot be given to you with an agency, whether its a First NationThe next step for implementing theby any colonial government, encourages agency or mainstream, you have the abilityBill is to get resources into communitiesGrand Chief Abram. We have jurisdic-now to dictate how that relationship isso they can begin consulting with theirtion inherently. Dont worry about [asking going to gowhat they are providing tomembers and front-line workers. Theyfor] permission. you as a service, he says. You should have the final determination of what happens to the children that need to be removed, and what happens rather than just the child going to a non-native foster home. In addition to placing children, communities will be able to focus on helping families avoid that level of inter-vention in the first place. Prevention work, combined with First Nations having a lot more say in how child welfare works, will hopefully lead to fewer children in care. Grand Chief Abram explains that the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in the child welfare system is another indication of systematic racism that is still entrenched in the system, which the Bill attempts to address. Racism in the 60s was more blatant, Grand Chief Abram says. Any child they saw running around, they would try to take. They didnt need any particular reason other than yourBuilding a bettermother was Indigenous. Today, there seems to be some movement away and brighter futurefrom that. In Ontario, Grand Council Treaty #3 is working toward implementing theWe continue to celebrate the recent announcement Anishinaabe Abinoojii Inakonigewinthat Gwayakocchigewin Limited Partnership (GLP), Child Care Law. This law was enactedand Hydro One have entered into an agreement on by the National Assembly in 2005. According to the Anishinaabe Abinoojiithe Waasigan Transmission Line project that includes Inakonigewin toolkit, the law has itsan opportunity for the First Nations represented by roots in Anishinaabe Sacred Law that isthe GLP to invest in an equity stake of the project. kept by our people, and it is not codifiedIn total, nine First Nations in the region will have the and does not change. Sacred Law comes from Giizhe Manido through an ancientopportunity to invest in a 50 percent equity stake law-making process called minigoosiwin.of the transmission project. This industry-leading The Anishinabek Nation haspartnership demonstrates Hydro Ones commitment also developed a law that exercisesto taking meaningful action towards Reconciliation. Anishinabek First Nation inherent juris-diction over child welfare. In June 2016, the law was approved by the Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Resolution. The central coordinating bodytheHydroOne.com/IndigenousRelationsKoganaawsawinwas created under the law. According to Anishinabek Nations I ssue1 2022C hIefs ofo ntarIoA dvocAte magazIne l 21'