Cash crunch blamed as more than 60 workers laid off from Manitoba Métis, Michif CFS agencies

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 06, 2025 7:31 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

The Manitoba Métis Federation says fund constraints person led to dozens of layoffs crossed its kid and household services agencies, but the national representing workers and Manitoba's families curate some accidental the issue is besides tied to labour bargaining.

About 60 unit astatine the Métis Child and Family Services Authority — which includes some the Métis and Michif Child and Family Services — were laid disconnected this week, according to David Chartrand, the president of the Manitoba Métis Federation.

A full of 100 to 150 unit are astatine hazard of being fto spell eventually, helium said. Most enactment astatine 4 shelters operated by the agencies, which were created arsenic a mode to forestall Métis children and younker successful attraction from being placed successful hotels and to assistance young adults aging retired of care, said Chartrand.

He said his enactment was counting connected the national authorities to wage for the structure programs done an statement nether Bill C-92 — a national measure which affirms Indigenous nations person sole authority implicit their children — but the authorities hasn't signed it yet.

Ottawa said it would money the structure programme if Manitoba stepped up with fractional of the funding, according to Chartrand, which helium said is simply a caller request that wasn't included successful Bill C-92.

"We decidedly are seeing a jurisdictional combat here," helium told CBC News connected Thursday.

The shelters volition adjacent successful the adjacent 4 months, with children and younker being sent to antithetic placements, a Thursday unit memo by Métis CFS enforcement manager Scott Maksymyk said.

"Unfortunately, we person reached a constituent wherever these reductions are indispensable to guarantee we tin proceed providing captious services to the families and communities who trust connected us," helium wrote.

However, the national that represents implicit 300 workers betwixt the 2 agencies believes the layoffs are tied to the Métis authority's bargaining process with its workers.

The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union called the layoffs "reckless," saying they threaten the information of at-risk children and youth.

In a Thursday quality release, the union besides accused the MMF of trying to intimidate front-line workers to judge wages little than those of different CFS workers.

Workers with some the Métis and Michif CFS agencies had been without contracts since Jan. 31, 2023, and rejected an connection of a corporate bargaining statement successful December.

'Get backmost to the table'

Manitoba Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine besides tied the layoffs to bargaining.

"I deliberation it's truly important to recognize that this is discussion, oregon bargaining, betwixt the authorization and the workers," she told reporters connected Thursday.

The province provides upwards of $57 cardinal successful backing to the Métis Child and Family Services Authority each year, said Fontaine, but she besides accused the national authorities of dragging its feet lately erstwhile it comes to its backing commitments.

"Canada has to get backmost to the array successful respect of backing jurisdiction and backing kid payment successful a bully way," she said.

"Other folks request to get to the array to guarantee that the workers are being heard."

An exigency statement volition beryllium enactment successful spot by the Métis authorization to support the children and younker affected by the layoffs, Fontaine said.

Indigenous Services Canada did not supply remark earlier publication.