Our History

In 1988 the Manitoba Government launched a Public Inquiry into the Administration of Justice and Aboriginal People, commonly known as the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry (AJI). The mandate of this Inquiry was to examine the relationship between Indigenous people and the justice system, and to suggest ways it might be improved.

It released its report in 1991. The first line in the introduction states, "The justice system has failed Manitoba's Aboriginal people on a massive scale." The report also documented many grave problems in Manitoba's Child and Family Services system. The report noted, "Aboriginal people appearing before this Inquiry have repeatedly expressed their concern that any overhaul of the justice system in Manitoba must also include a re-examination of the "child welfare system". The report also recommended that "Aboriginal people must have more control over the ways in which their children are raised, taught and protected." Implementing this recommendation would require a major restructuring of Manitoba's Child Welfare System.

Report: www.ajic.mb.ca/volume.html

In late November 1999 the Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission was created to develop an action plan based on the original Aboriginal Justice Inquiry recommendations. Only months later, on February 22, 2000 The Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) and the Province of Manitoba signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which would lead to the creation of a child and family services system for Métis people throughout Manitoba.. The agreement recognized that Métis People were entitled to develop effective, community-based, child and family services which reflect our unique Indigenous status, as well as our cultural and linguistic heritage.

Commission: www.ajic.mb.ca/index.html

The signing underlined the commitment of the Manitoba Metis Federation to enter into a three-year joint implementation process, known as the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry Child Welfare Initiative (AJI-CWI), along with Manitoba First Nations (Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakak and the provincial government to review and restructure child and family services within Manitoba. An essential feature of this restructuring was the expansion of off-reserve authority for First Nations and the establishment of a province-wide Métis mandate.

AJI-CWI: www.aji-cwi.mb.ca

The establishment of a Métis-specific child and family services agency had been a longstanding dream within the Métis community. Therefore, it was with great excitement and enthusiasm that the Metis Child, Family and Community Services Agency received the formal mandate from the Province of Manitoba to deliver child and family services province-wide on September 13, 2003.

Following this, the Child and Family Services Authorities Act was proclaimed on November 24, 2003, which led to the creation of the Metis Child and Family Services Authority, which oversaw the Agency.

In 2011, Michif Child and Family Services Agency was established to bring a greater focus and range of services to families in northern Manitoba.