Cree mother alleges bias in child apprehension case – CBC

Ministry says workers are trained in cultural sensitivity

Aug 17, 2020

A woman whose children were apprehended by the province in March says she was the victim of racial and religious bias.

The woman has since regained custody of her three children – ages eight, five, and a baby – under a supervision order, but she and her lawyer say the separation shouldn’t have happened.

The 33-year-old mother, who can’t be identified in order to protect the identities of her children, was staying in a central Edmonton domestic violence shelter when she said she had an anxiety attack, and went outside to practice Cree rituals to help calm herself.

The woman, who identifies as Cree and African, said she and her children arrived at the shelter in early March. She was fleeing a situation in her rural community, and had hoped to start over in the city. But soon she came into conflict with another shelter resident — a woman from her home community — and said relations turned sour with shelter staff.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/cree-mother-alleges-bias-in-child-apprehension-case-1.5683739