Our People of the South Island First Nations have never relinquished our inherent jurisdiction and responsibility for our Children and Families.
We have our own laws and traditional ways of caring for our Children.
Who Is SIIA?
SIIA is a planning organization supporting the south island’s journey to regain jusrisdiction over child and family services
The Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families allows our communities to control and govern our child and family services, and to create our own Indigenous law to replace the current law created by the government of British Columbia. SIIA is working to develop our own Indigenous Child and Family law and to design a way of delivering services that are grounded in the values, traditions, and cultures of the South Island. We are doing research and talking to people in our communities, making sure the law and our services are based on our own culture and needs. This work will create a better path forward for this generation, and for future generations. The new law will allow our communities to develop a child and family services system that is governed by our people, for our people.
Paddling Together for Jurisdiction
As of December 2024, SIIA is excited to share the final draft of our Law with the public. This version reflects years of community engagement and incorporates valuable feedback collected during community sessions held since the release of the first draft in February 2024 and the second draft in August 2024.
Our draft Law is rooted in the traditional and contemporary practices of South Island communities in supporting their children and families. While this latest version remains a draft, we encourage ongoing community input in the coming months.
In January, SIIA also released our second Community Technical Report, Paddling Together for Jurisdiction: Continuing Our Journey. This report outlines the differences between our new Law and the current colonial law, and describes the potential impact of our new Law on our community members’ lives.
Final Draft SIIA Law 7.2
December 2024
Continuing Our Journey:
A Community Technical Document
January 2025
Aunties Gathering 2022
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