Advocacy on Child & Youth Death Review Transformation

The Office of the Chief Coroner is seeking to transform its Child and Youth Death Review (CYDR) process towards a more meaningful process for First Nations. Anishinabek Nation Legal Department was tasked with planning and hosting engagements surrounding this initiative to receive expertise and guidance from our Anishinabek First Nations on what is needed for meaningful change. Online and hybrid engagements were held in 2024/2025 and we received crucial and key feedback.

The Legal Department developed a final report which includes 30 recommendations to the Office of the Chief Coroner on what is needed for transformation of the CYDR process. This report and recommendations were endorsed by Anishinabek Nation Chiefs-in-Assembly in October 2024 and also shared and presented to child and family well-being staff as well as our Nation Building Councils. Additionally, the report has also been shared with the Office of the Chief Coroner, and we will be meeting with the Office of the Chief Coroner to discuss next steps and work on implementation of the various recommendations. We will continue to keep leadership informed on the progress of our implementation and advocacy efforts surrounding this matter.

Please find attached a copy of our Anishinabek Nation Report and Recommendations. Feel free to use this report in your own ways and for your own advocacy efforts. If you have any questions or comments, please contact our Legal Department Manager, Linda Newhook, at linda.newhook@anishinabek.ca