Judge rules for Saskatchewan government over tribal council in care dispute
The struggle for power between the Saskatchewan government and the Saskatoon Tribal Council over who has responsibility for children in care was at least temporarily settled Thursday with the government coming out the victor.
However, a spokeswoman for the tribal council said it’s not being considered a defeat, and the hope is that the two sides will be able to negotiate new terms going forward.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Lian Schwann declared the tribal council “is prohibited from interfering with Saskatchewan’s exercise of its statutory mandate under the Child and Family Services Act on the Indian reserves of the defendant First Nations.”
Schwann also ordered the council to provide documents being sought by the province; to give government officials access to inspect the documents; and not to move, tamper with, or destroy the documents.