Speaker: Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and Professor, School of Social Work, McGill University

Talk title: The Spirit Bear Plan to End Inequalities in Public Services for First Nations Children, Youth and Families

Livestreaming available at https://www.queensu.ca/its/livestream/live.html

Public reception to follow immediately after the lecture in the outer foyer. 

First Nations children and families living on reserve and in the Territories receive public services funded by the federal government, and since confederation, these services have fallen significantly short of what other Canadians receive. This injustice needs to end and Spirit Bear's Plan will do just that.

A member of the Gitksan First Nation, Cindy Blackstock has 25 years of social work experience in child protection and Indigenous children’s rights. Her promotion of culturally based and evidence informed solutions has been recognized by the Nobel Women’s Initiative, the Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, Frontline Defenders and many others. An author of over 50 publications and a widely sought after public speaker, Cindy has collaborated with other Indigenous leaders to assist the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in the development and adoption of a General Comment on the Rights of Indigenous children.