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First Nations children's dreams matter

An open letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper from Our Dreams Matter Too, a national walk for equity for First Nations children

An open letter to:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Dear Prime Minister:

Re: Our Dreams Matter Too, a national walk for equity for First Nations children

At this time in our national life, when we are focused on reconciling our relationship with the first peoples of our country, people across Canada are walking to bring attention to the seventh anniversary of your apology to survivors of residential schools and to bring to your attention that their children, their grandchildren and in some cases their great grandchildren continue to be underserved by the country that apologized to them.

We are painfully aware of the effects of residential school and the families that are struggling to address the personal demons of addictions, violence, child abuse and neglect and the public demons of poverty, lack of housing and inadequate services that create the fertile ground for these problems.

As social workers, we need to tell you that without the preventive effect of adequately funded public services, the remedial work with children and families will be doubly difficult.

We ask you to make a deeper public investment in these services until the need for them is gone. We do not want to have to ask you for a second apology.

Robert Hart,

Advocacy Committee

BC Association of Social Workers

Terrace, B.C.