Indigenous Services

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was a commission active in Canada from 2008 to 2015, organized by the parties of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. From it came two calls to action specific to FASD.

Call to Action 33:

We call upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to recognize as a high priority the need to address and prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and to develop, in collaboration with Aboriginal people, FASD preventive programs that can be delivered in a culturally appropriate manner.

Call to Action 34:

We call upon the governments of Canada, the provinces, and territories to undertake reforms to the criminal justice system to better address the needs of offenders with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), including:

i. Providing increased community resources and powers for courts to ensure that fasd is properly diagnosed, and that appropriate community supports are in place for those with FASD.

ii. Enacting statutory exemptions from mandatory minimum sentences of imprisonment for offenders affected by fasd.

iii. Providing community, correctional, and parole resources to maximize the ability of people with fasd to live in the community.

iv. Adopting appropriate evaluation mechanisms to measure the effectiveness of such programs and ensure community safety.

All levels of government and the citizens of this county have a role to play in reconciliation; we are all treaty people. We must address the impact of FASD on our province with the understanding that there is no cultural stereotype associated with the disorder. Where there is alcohol there is FASD.