An Indigenous Grandparents’ Rights Walk will be taking place starting on July 3, at Opaskwayak Cree Nation. The walk is to raise awareness of the rights of Indigenous grandparents and their need for support in raising their grandchildren.
“Off and on I raised my grandchildren and then in 2006, I was going through the court system and was told by a judge that I did not have rights in the courtroom, because there were no grandparents’ rights,” said Indigenous Grandparents’ Rights Walk Organizer Marlene Carriere. “I couldn’t talk on behalf of my grandchildren, and it was so frustrating, because every time I left the courts, I was so emotional. At the very last court hearing I said, ‘well you wait and see what I can do. I’m a kookum’.