Laws of Matriarch

Voices of a Gitxsan Woman Super not in a good mood,   Sick of the state of my loved ones,   Gitxsan and all our kin,   Bearing the weight of a world so cruel,   A world where racism and discrimination loom.   I won’t pretend it’s not there,   Just to ease your fears or soothe your soul.   Today, I feel moments of fear—   For me and my children,   Life is tough, and shadows loom near.   We’ve learned to live and die   With this socially accepted racism,   To the point where we are murdered,   Our stories silenced, our voices hushed.   Don’t tell me to word things right,   Don’t tell me not to feel angry,   I’m a human, an Aboriginal woman,   And this is my reality.   We struggle to help our loved ones,   Advised and forced to let go,   Feeling hopeless as we watch them fall,   Knowing they’ve been raped,   Knowing they’ve been abused,   Suffering the impacts of the IRS, ...

As you know, I’ve been struggling to get medical coverage for my grandson, who is now 2.5 years old. I still haven’t been able to secure it. To get First Nations medical coverage for our grandchildren, grandparents need a signed court order and an Indian Status Registration—period. I’m hopeful that I can have my grandson registered with our band in about a month. I will apply for his Status Card, but I know that will take 6 to 8 months to receive, which will finally give Angel the medical coverage he needs. VACFSS has been working on Angel’s Indian registration for 2.5 years, ever since he was removed from his home. He has been in my custody for the past six months, and I feel the weight of this ongoing struggle. I also want to update you on my granddaughter, Dex. I took it upon myself to register her birth certificate and Indian Status. She was born on November 7, 2017, but like her brother, she has also been removed and is currently in VACFSS custody. Here is my latest email update t...

Today, I received the signed court order for my grandson, Angel, and I feel a mix of relief and concern as I move forward. Here’s my latest email to the government of Canada and the province: --- To: "MCF PDCW MCF:EX" MCF.PDCW@gov.bc.ca (mailto:MCF.PDCW@gov.bc.ca);   Cc: "Horgan.MLA, John LASS:EX"; John.Horgan.MLA@leg.bc.ca (mailto:John.Horgan.MLA@leg.bc.ca);   "Dix, Adrian HLTH:EX"; Adrian.Dix@gov.bc.ca (mailto:Adrian.Dix@gov.bc.ca);   "Brown, Stephen R HLTH:EX"; Stephen.Brown@gov.bc.ca (mailto:Stephen.Brown@gov.bc.ca);   "Ghostkeeper, Cindy MCF:EX"; Cindy.Ghostkeeper@gov.bc.ca (mailto:Cindy.Ghostkeeper@gov.bc.ca);   Hello, I want to update you that I received a signed order today from counsel. I’m hopeful it won’t take long to add Angel as a dependent to an extended health plan. As a working parent, this means he will finally have the medical coverage he needs. However, this gap in coverage has left many First Nations children withou...