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B.C. Ministry Bars Metis Toddler From Attending Cultural Event In Her Honour

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 12 Feb, 2016 12:40 PM

VANCOUVER — British Columbia's Children's Ministry has barred a Metis toddler at the centre of a cross-country adoption battle from attending a cultural gathering in her honour.

The B.C. Metis Federation is holding a fundraiser and potluck on Saturday for foster parents who have launched a court petition to adopt the two-and-a-half-year-old Metis girl they have raised since birth.

The Children's Ministry is fighting the adoption because it plans to move the toddler to Ontario to live with her older sisters and their non-Metis caregivers.

The Metis foster mother says the ministry told her earlier this week the little girl could not attend Saturday's gathering, which will feature Metis jiggers and fiddlers.

The ministry says the gathering was advertised as an opportunity to meet the toddler, which is a violation of legislation that protects the identity of children in government care.

The foster mom says she has taken great care to keep the girl's identity private, but she can't simply shelter her at home, and the event is an important opportunity to experience her culture.

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