Since Time Immemorial

• The Aaka Piikani (North Piikani) have governed themselves by their customs and traditions, as expressed in Piikanissini, part of the larger Siksikatsiitapiwa (Blackfoot) cultural system.
• Family, kinship and community were the traditional supports for Pookaiksi (children) — a model rooted in collective responsibility and culture.

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1877 – Treaty No. 7

• The Piikani Nation entered into the Blackfoot Treaty (Treaty No. 7) with the Crown, which affirmed its Aboriginal and Treaty rights (now enshrined in s. 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982).
• Despite the spirit and intent of the Blackfoot Treaty, Canada's subsequent conduct placed the Nation within a colonial framework that would later influence child and family services.

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Mid-1800s → 1990s – Colonial Child Welfare & Sixties Scoop (National Context)

• Prior to European settlement, First Nations care of children was family/kin-based; by 1831–1996 many First Nations children were removed from their families through residential schools or day schools where they were forbidden to practice their culture.
• Early modern child-protection reforms in Canada are commonly dated to 1893 (beginning in Ontario), supporting the expansion of children's aid societies and out-of-home placements; in 1951, Indian Act amendments made provincial laws of general application applicable to First Nations people, facilitating the application of provincial child welfare laws on-reserve.
• The "Sixties Scoop" refers to the large-scale removal of First Nations children by provincial child welfare authorities, often without parental or community consent, and their placement in predominantly non-First Nations foster and adoptive homes; despite the name, it began in the mid-to-late 1950s and continued into the 1980s.
• These national events set the backdrop of systemic challenge for all First Nations child & family services, including the Piikani Nation.

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1999–2000 – Formation of Agency and Delegation Agreement Signed by Piikani CFS

• Piikani CFS entered into a tripartite agreement with Canada and Alberta for the delivery of child & family enhancement services under the provincial regime.
• Piikani CFS, then named Piegan Child and Family Services, was incorporated under the Canada Corporations Act on November 29, 2000, to formalize its governance and service mandate for the Piikani Nation.

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2001-Present – Service Delivery

• With delegated authority from the Alberta Ministry of Children's Services, Piikani CFS began providing protection and enhancement services on behalf of the Piikani Nation.
• Service delivery has continued under Alberta's delegated child intervention framework and the applicable provincial legislative and policy regime, operating under the Child Welfare Act until Alberta moved to the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act in 2004, and since then in accordance with the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, its regulations, and the Government of Alberta's Enhancement Policy Manual, which sets provincial policy and procedural requirements for both regional authorities and Delegated First Nation Agencies like Piikani CFS.

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2014 – Continuance under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act

• On November 18, 2014, Piikani CFS transitioned to the new Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act and continues as a non-profit corporation under the new legislation.

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2016 – Population Growth and Changing Demographics

• Census data: registered population rose by 16.2% between 2006–2016. More than 60% live on-reserve; median age ~30 years.
• This demographic growth reinforces the urgency and scale of family & child services on Piikani Nation.

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2020 – Enactment of An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families (Bill C-92)

• Nationally, Canada's Indigenous organizations participated in development of this legislation.
• Bill C-92 received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019, and came into force on January 1, 2020.
• Bill C-92 sets national minimal standards for Indigenous children in care; confirms inherent jurisdiction of First Nations over their children and family services; and conforms to the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
• For Piikani Nation this opens the path for exercising inherent jurisdiction over child & family services, aligned with Piikani values, traditions, and customs.
• Bill C-92 affirms that First Nations have an inherent right to exercise jurisdiction over child and family services and provides a federal legal framework for that authority to operate with recognition from federal and provincial governments.

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2021 – Piikani Council BCR and Proposal Submission

• On June 22, 2021, Piikani Chief and Council passed a Band Council Resolution authorizing Piikani CFS to submit a proposal to Indigenous Services Canada in respect of implementation of Bill C-92.
• This is a key moment: the Nation formally puts forward its plan to assume jurisdiction and develop customised legislation rooted in Piikani culture.

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2021-2026 – Planning & Transition Phase: Culture-Based Design

• Piikani CFS is engaged in drafting Piikani-specific child and family legislation rooted in Piikanissini; strengthen prevention and family wellness programs; build data systems to track outcomes and service impact; and negotiate funding and implementation agreements with Indigenous Services Canada and Alberta.
• In Reference re An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, 2024 SCC 5 (February 9, 2024), the Supreme Court of Canada upheld Bill C-92 as constitutional and confirmed that Indigenous child and family services laws made in alignment with Bill C-92 have the force of federal law and prevail over conflicting provincial laws.
• This phase integrates both local experience (two decades of service delivery) and national shifts (Bill C-92, affirmed First Nations jurisdiction).

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2026 and Beyond – Implementation, Sovereignty & Wellness

• The vision: to raise healthy, safe, proud Piikani Pookaiksi (children) and families through traditional knowledge, cultural identity and self-determination.
• Core agency objectives, including reducing children in care, supporting family functioning, healing from colonial harms caused by historical CFS services, and cultural continuity are now pursued in a framework moving toward full self-governance of child & family services, including implementing our own Piikani legislation.

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