The government of Canada and the B.C. government have signed a historic coordination agreement with the Sts'ailes nation, recognizing the First Nation's jurisdiction over their own child and family services laws.
In 2023, Sts'ailes brought into force Snowoyelh te Emi:melh te Sts’ailes, or “Sts’ailes Child and Family Services Law,” which covers Sts'ailes children living on reserve. Effective April 1, the Sts'ailes law extends to all Sts'ailes children across B.C.
During Family Day Weekend this year, the Sts'ailes people celebrated and asserted their jurisdiction over child and family services despite the lack of support from the federal government. The ceremony was originally intended to be a celebration of reaching a coordination agreement between B.C., Sts'ailes and Canada. However, the Canadian government reneged on their commitment to a coordination agreement between Sts'ailes and the federal and provincial governments – failing to meet deadlines after three years of negotiations.
In April, the province signed a coordinating agreement with Sts'ailes, reinforcing B.C.'s support for Sts'ailes independent jurisdiction over their own child and family services.
More to come.
