AMC Demands Accountability as Children Continue to Suffer Harm in Foster Homes
September 24, 2025
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba
AMC Communications
Treaty One Territory, Winnipeg, MB – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) and the First Nations Family Advocate Office express grave concern following the recent removal of four children from a foster home in Winnipeg, including one child who remains in critical condition with life-altering injuries.
“This heartbreaking incident highlights the continued failure of the child welfare system to protect our children,” Grand Chief Kyra Wilson says. “The very system meant to keep children safe is instead exposing them to harm and neglect. We must prioritize their safety, well-being, and cultural connection above all else.”
This incident comes after repeated calls from the AMC for urgent action and accountability within Manitoba’s child welfare system. In February 2024, AMC called on the province to examine the child welfare system after the tragic loss of six First Nations children in care in a span of six months. Since then, no meaningful action has been implemented to ensure the safety, cultural well-being, or proper oversight of children in care.
“When a child is critically injured in a foster home, the public asks how this could happen. But First Nations Leadership has been raising the alarm for years,” said Grand Chief Wilson. “We are watching a system do exactly what it was built to do: separate our children from their families and place them in environments where there is little accountability.”
Earlier this year, the provincial government announced an increase in basic maintenance rates for foster parents, set to take effect next month. The AMC asserts that this move fails to address the deeper structural problems that endanger First Nations children.
“It is deeply concerning that the government is directing resources toward foster homes while failing to invest in mechanisms to monitor and ensure the safety and well-being of children in care. First Nations families continue to face the removal of their children due to systemic inequities and poverty, yet critical supports to protect these children remain insufficient,” said Grand Chief Wilson.
The AMC urgently calls on the provincial and federal governments to work directly with First Nations to overhaul the child welfare system, ensuring that First Nations laws, customs, and inherent rights are respected. This includes meaningful investments in prevention and family reunification.
For more information, please contact:
Communications Team
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
Email: media@manitobachiefs.com
About The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs:
The AMC was formed in 1988 by the Chiefs in Manitoba to advocate on issues that commonly affect First Nations in Manitoba. AMC is an authorized representative of all 63 First Nations in Manitoba with a total of more than 172,000 First Nations citizens in the province, accounting for approximately 12 percent of the provincial population. AMC represents a diversity of Anishinaabe, Nehetho / Ininew, Anisininew, Denesuline, and Dakota Oyate peoples.