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Birth of a Family

Betty Ann, Esther, Rosalie, and Ben were only four of the 20,000 Indigenous Canadian children taken from their families between 1955 and 1985, to be either adopted into white families or live in foster care. As the four siblings piece together their shared history, their connection deepens, and their family begins to take shape.
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Betty Ann, Esther, Rosalie, and Ben were only four of the 20,000 Indigenous Canadian children taken from their families between 1955 and 1985, to be either adopted into white families or live in foster care. As the four siblings piece together their shared history, their connection deepens, and their family begins to take shape.

Indigenous Peoples in Canada (First Nations and Métis) All subjects
Family Stories Human Rights Women in Film All channels
Indigenous Cinema
  • writer
    Tasha Hubbard
    Betty Ann Adam
  • director
    Tasha Hubbard
  • producer
    Bonnie Thompson
  • executive producer
    David Christensen
  • editor
    Hans Olson
  • consulting editor
    Scott Parker
  • director of photography
    Allan Leader
  • cinematographer
    Thomas Dudley
    Jim Moule
  • production manager
    Darin Wilson
  • location sound
    Per Asplund
    Brad Martin
  • sound design
    Perry Blackman
  • mixer
    Serge Boivin
  • colourist
    Serge Verreault
  • titles
    Jacques Bertrand Simard
  • data management
    Oliver Lessard
  • transcription
    Patricia Garry
  • associate producer
    Betty Ann Adam
  • production coordinator
    Jasmine Pullukatt
    Ginette D'Silva
    Faye Yoneda
  • production supervisor
    Mark Power
    Esther Viragh
  • marketing manager
    Leslie Stafford
  • program administrator
    Bree Beach
    Ginette D'Silva
  • centre operations manager
    Darin Clausen
  • executive director
    Michelle van Beusekom

Education

Ages 15 to 18

Notes

Useful for essays, debates and discussions about Indigenous history in Canada. Explain what the Sixties Scoop was and how it fits into the history of the Canadian government’s relationship with Indigenous peoples. Research what restitutions have been made by the Canadian government regarding the Sixties Scoop; are these restitutions adequate and, if not, what else should be done? Is this family’s experience similar or different from that of non-Indigenous children placed in foster care? Why?

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Birth of a Family
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