3 Year Anniversary of HOCFNA

January 21, 2025

3 Year Anniversary of HOCFNA

January 21, 2025, marks Peguis First Nation’s 3 year anniversary of the Honouring our Children, Families and Nation Act (HOCFNA) coming into effect. This day marks our nation’s exercise of our inherent and sacred right to protect our own children. The coming into force of our legislation acknowledges our collective efforts to put a stop to the intergenerational trauma faced by our community, and to revitalize our traditional parenting practices. Our nation’s Act requires the Agency to stand with our families, cultivating relationships with parents and letting them lead the way forward. Our Act accounts for the fact that our parents and families know what they need, and as an Agency it is our job to support their healing journey and provide the necessary supports along the way.

The Honouring our Children, Families and Nation Act marks a revitalization of our traditional governance structures and law-making practices. This is imperative to our future as a nation, to nurture our parents, children and families in utilizing our law to live mino bimaadiziwin (A good life).

Since the Honouring our Children, Families and Nation Act, the Agency has:

- 48,494 Member interactions through Prevention Services;

- Prevented 119 children from coming into care;

- 255 Extension of Service Agreements (EOSA), with youth ages 18-26, entered into;

- 142 Customary Care Agreements (CCA) entered into to prevent children from coming into care;

- 7 Children supported through Supported Subsidized Guardianship (SSG) with immediate family members;

- Customary Acceptance Agreements (CAA) of 6 children (traditional adoption);

- Intake Services provided to 5,026 Members;

- After Hours Services provided to 2,817 Members;

- A 29% reduction in the number of Children in Care (CIC) from 2021 to 2024;

- 704 Peguis families supported through Service to Families (STF);

- Integration and training of Peguis Elders for Alternatives to the Court Process;

- Creation of a Donation Fund which has provided $365,805.39 to Members;

- Artists Callout's which purchased $162,000.00 worth of artwork from Members;

- Expanded operations in Peguis, Maamawibiway, Selkirk and Winnipeg areas, including the repatriation of lands in the Selkirk area;

- Provided full accountability and transparency to Members with a full Unmodified Audit for 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 fiscal years.

The Agency wants to acknowledge the support of Peguis Leadership and Members in making this journey possible as each act of reconciliation impacts the wellbeing of each child and 7 generations to come.

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Annual General Meeting

September 16, 2025

Schedule is subject to change.

Staff Pension Plan Settlement

September 15, 2025

MEDIA RELEASE SEPTEMBER 15, 2025 Treaty 1 Territory, Winnipeg, MB – Today, Peguis Child and Family Services (the “Agency”) wishes to announce a significant court victory achieved through settlement with Canada via the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada (“OSFI”). The Agency had attempted to register its Staff Pension Plan for its employees with OSFI under the authority of the federal Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985. OSFI, as regulator of federal pension plans refused to register the Plan and recommended registration of the Plan provincially. The Agency, operating under the inherent rights of Peguis First Nation and the Honouring our Children, Families and Nation Act (“HOCFNA”), filed a judicial review application challenging the decision of OSFI not to register the Plan. There were many factors supporting the challenge initiated by the Agency, including but not limited to the fact that the HOCFNA scope was national, and it carried the weight of federal law; the inherent rights of Peguis First Nation to actionize jurisdiction of child and family services; the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling (the Quebec Reference 2024 SCC 5) confirming the constitutionality of An act respecting First Nations, Inuit, Metis children, youth and families; and that section 91(24) of the Constitution Act, 1867 and section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 were engaged drawing in reconciliatory justice. These factors, among others, were persuasive and compelling but not decided by the Court because the parties reached a settlement. As a result of settlement, the following will occur: a) The Agency discontinues the application against Canada; b) Canada registers the pension plan through OSFI; c) Canada pays costs in the amount of $10,000 to the Agency; and d) There is no confidentiality associated with settlement. The Agency has established another legal precedent along its journey of transforming Indigenous child welfare for the benefit of First Nations nationally. CONTACT Kirk Mann Communication Director Peguis Child and Family Services (204) 645-2049 -30-