First Nations in B.C. call on minister to resign over horrific child abuse case

WARNING: This story contains extremely disturbing details of child abuse.

First Nations leaders in British Columbia are calling for the resignation of the children's minister and an overhaul of the foster system after a horrific case involving torture, starvation and other abuse that culminated in the beating death of an 11-year-old boy.

A provincial court judge in Chilliwack, B.C., earlier this month sentenced a man and woman to 10 years in prison after they pleaded guilty to the aggravated assault and manslaughter of the fostered First Nations boy and the aggravated assault of his sister, aged eight.

The name of the First Nation, its location and the names of all parties were banned by the courts to protect the identity of the children involved in the case.

Court documents show the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development's last visit to the Indigenous couple's home took place seven months before the boy was beaten to death in 2021 by the woman, who is related to the children's biological mother.

The First Nations Leadership Council says there has been an "ongoing lack of accountability'' by the ministry in response to the case and is calling for minister Mitzi Dean's resignation and for the province to work with First Nations to eradicate the mistreatment of Indigenous children in care.

In a statement, Dean did not respond directly to the call to step down.

"I extend our deepest apologies and condolences to the family, friends and communities that have been impacted by this tragedy, including Indigenous Peoples across the province who have experienced and continue to experience the trauma of a broken child-welfare system," said Dean.

"In partnership with First Nations leadership and Indigenous partners, we are determined to continue making the systemic changes that are needed to support Nations in exercising their inherent jurisdiction to provide their own services for their children and youth."

In an unrelated news conference Monday morning B.C. Premier David Eby said the case is being "profoundly'' felt.

"This case has shaken all of us,'' he said.

Regional Chief Terry Teegee of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations said the abuse in this case was the "result of negligence and lack of systemic oversight.''

"I urge minister Dean to recognize this and resign immediately,'' he said in a news release Monday.

"The ministry must conduct a thorough systematic review of its child protection and guardianship policies, practices, and procedures pertaining to First Nations children and youth, and all child protection cases and placements involving First Nations families.''

Jennifer Charlesworth, the provincial representative for children and youth, promised a full investigation into the abuse and whether the government could have done more to prevent it.

"I have very broad powers to compel witnesses and to seek whatever information I think will be pertinent to the investigation," she told CBC News.

Charlesworth says she is committing to finishing the investigation in a year, and a public report will be released with recommendations for government and foster care providers.

'The level of violence ... is incomprehensible'

In his ruling on June 16, Judge Peter La Prairie said the children were tortured, starved and forced to eat their own feces, vomit and dog food. They were forced to undertake excessive exercise routines for hours, often with their eyes taped shut, while in diapers or naked.

They were also subject to slapping, punching, kicking and whipping, with much of the abuse captured by video cameras inside the home.

The boy died in February 2021 after sustaining a traumatic brain injury during a beating by the woman, documents say. His sister was later examined and found to have multiple abrasions and bruises all over her body and injuries to her wrists and ankles from zip ties.

Police executed a search warrant and found evidence including a two-by-four piece of wood the couple used to beat the children, along with 16,000 videos with about 400 hours of playing time depicting months of abuse from 2020 to 2021.

"The level of violence depicted in the videos is incomprehensible,'' La Prairie said in the ruling.

He noted the boy's appearance in February 2021 was "particularly shocking,'' likening it to a child from the Holocaust.

"It is inconceivable to understand how the abuse as depicted on the videos continued over a lengthy period of time, with the children in emaciated conditions and no one did anything,'' he said. "These are issues that need to be addressed.''

Support is available for anyone affected by this report. You can talk to a mental health professional via Wellness Together Canada by calling 1-866-585-0445 or text WELLNESS to 686868 for youth or 741741 for adults. It is free and confidential.