Introducing Lincoln Hallgren, the New Executive Director of Jurisdiction

Hadih! My name is Lincoln Hallgren, and I am excited to follow in Mabel Louie’s footsteps as the newly appointed Executive Director of Jurisdiction. I grew up and currently reside in Burns Lake and am a member of Lake Babine Nation, sitting with Likhc’ibu (Bear Clan).

I am looking forward to engaging with members of the eleven Nations that CSFS serves. To hear directly from community members on aspects of traditional governance, what jurisdiction means to the community, and how to best incorporate the views of community with the jurisdiction project, as after all, the nations will resume their right to child and family decision-making alongside CSFS.

The vision I see, that may vary from person to person and Nation to Nation, ten years from now that all eleven member Nations have their own jurisdiction for child and families, based on traditional Carrier and Sekani governance so every Carrier and Sekani child knows who they are, their belonging to their community and family, and live their lives to their fullest potential. Together we will re-assume jurisdiction for the best interests of Carrier Sekani children and families, as we have for time immemorial.

Jurisdiction is important as we know the provinces have not done well in regard to our children. By reassuming our traditional right to child and family decision making, our Nations will ensure our children are close to their communities, know who they are and where they belong in their culture and traditions, as well as assisting family well-being for generations to come.

What is ‘jurisdiction’?  

Jurisdiction is the right to make decisions.

Our people have always had the right and responsibility to make decisions about their children and families but under the Indian Act, the responsibility for making decisions about children and families rests with the provincial government. When An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families (formerly C-92) came into effect in 2020, Nations’ right to be the decision-makers was recognized at a federal level.

So, when we are talking about ‘jurisdiction’, we are talking about transitioning the right and responsibility for child and family decision-making back to Nations.

How will this new law on children and families be different than the current Province of BC laws?

The Carrier and Sekani child welfare law will not be ‘new’ to our people – it will be based on the traditional governance practices of Carrier and Sekani people. Our law will act as a framework for each Nation to develop their own child and family laws through recognizing the autonomy and unique governance practices of each Nation.

How will this law stand up against provincial laws?

The Carrier and Sekani child welfare law will be a ‘federal enabling’ law. Through An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families, Indigenous nations have a recognized legal authority to reimplement their own child and family laws.  

These Indigenous laws have paramountcy over provincial laws in the case of conflict when related to child and family services – meaning the Carrier and Sekani child welfare law would be recognized over a Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD) regulation. The province can no longer assert their decisions over our Nations.  

Reasserting our people’s right to be decision-makers for our children and families has been CSFS’s goal since our inception over 30 years ago. This is an exciting time for our people, and I feel incredibly honoured to be leading this good work.

You can find more information on the Frequently Asked Questions page.