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An Indigenous family in Manitoba is planning to pursue legal action after a newborn baby was apprehended by Child and Family Services (CFS) without warning. The family claims that the apprehension was wrongful and illegal, as the baby had multiple homes to go to within the family. The family posted a video of their exchange with the child-welfare worker online, which went viral and attracted the attention of politicians. The newborn was returned to their mother on Thursday night, and an apology was issued by CFS blaming the apprehension on miscommunication.
The sister of the mother, who is a ward of CFS and 17 years old, said that the explanation given for taking away the newborn did not make sense. The family had made arrangements for the mother and newborn to live with the sister, who moved to a bigger place to ensure they had enough space. NDP families critic Nahanni Fontaine said that the family had followed all the appropriate steps, and yet the child-welfare system still took their baby away.
The apprehension has raised concerns about the treatment of Indigenous families by CFS, and Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said that it shows the tearing apart of Indigenous families, which occurred in residential schools, is not relegated to the past. The government pointed out that the number of babies being taken into care annually has decreased in recent years, with 84 apprehensions in 2021-22, down from 289 in 2018-19. The decision to end birth alerts in 2020 contributed to the declining number of babies taken into care.