Scribd
Upload
58 views1 page

011 HTML

In August 2016, around 200 people gathered in Toronto to protest the Sixties Scoop, where Indigenous children were removed from their families in the 1960s-1970s and placed with non-Indigenous families. Among the protesters were Thomas Norton and his sister Karen Rae, who were reunited as adults after being separated when Karen was taken from their family home. Thomas said "You need to build the relationship and gather strength from that as a family." This event highlights the importance of family ties and the government policies that have shaped families in Canada, sometimes dividing them. It also shows that the concept of "family" involves complex social and legal definitions that have changed over time.

Uploaded by

Delmwin Baeka
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
58 views1 page

011 HTML

In August 2016, around 200 people gathered in Toronto to protest the Sixties Scoop, where Indigenous children were removed from their families in the 1960s-1970s and placed with non-Indigenous families. Among the protesters were Thomas Norton and his sister Karen Rae, who were reunited as adults after being separated when Karen was taken from their family home. Thomas said "You need to build the relationship and gather strength from that as a family." This event highlights the importance of family ties and the government policies that have shaped families in Canada, sometimes dividing them. It also shows that the concept of "family" involves complex social and legal definitions that have changed over time.

Uploaded by

Delmwin Baeka
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Introduction

In August, 2016, a group of about 200 people gathered in Toronto to protest the Sixties Scoop, a period in the
1960s and 1970s during which Indigenous children were removed from their families as part of the work of
“child protection services” and placed “in care” with non-Indigenous families. The demonstration by surviving
family members took place outside of a courthouse in Toronto where a judge was hearing a class action
lawsuit against the federal government over the practice. Among the 200 were Thomas Norton and his sister
Karen Rae, whom he had just met for the first time. Karen had been taken from their parents’ home on the
Saugeen First Nation before Thomas was born. Decades later, as adults, this family was reunited. Neither
knew what the other was doing in life, but Thomas Norton shared with the media the following: “You need to
build the relationship and gather strength from that as a family” (CBC News 2016: online).

This case reminds us of the meaning, vulnerability, tenacity, and importance of family ties that many in
Canada experience—and that some of us, at times, take for granted. It hints at just how diverse in form and
experience Canadian families are, and at government policies and practices that shape and constrain whom
and what a family has been allowed to include. It also shows us that “the family” is a politically and
ideologically charged concept that involves complexities in interpretation and legitimacy as defined by our
laws and policies and our changing social norms and values (Carregal Romero, 2018). Above all, it reminds us
of how deeply rooted our family ties are to our sense of self and our sense of belonging.

This chapter begins by exploring the various and changing definitions of “family.” We will consider which, if
any, reflect the diversity and plurality of relationships and experiences that we see and feel in our lives and
communities today. This will be followed by an overview of recent trends in family life as they are captured by
national statistics. We will see that Statistics Canada data capture a considerable amount of change and
diversity in family forms, but these data still mask variations, fluctuations, and “real-life” complexities that
encompass everyday life for the millions of people who make up families in Canada.

Following that, we review theories used to help explain what is happening to, with, and in family life. We see,
through the trends, definitions, and theories covered in this chapter, that change, complexity, and diversity
are the norm when it comes to understanding families. We will see—throughout this chapter and the rest of
the book—that Statistics Canada data, while offering evidence of change to family structures over time, fail to
accurately depict the full breadth of lived experiences of Canadians.

You might also like