What Is the I Am a Witness Campaign and How Can I Get Involved?

Updated

The I Am a Witness campaign is an initiative of the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society that invites people to learn about the human rights case on First Nations child welfare and Jordan's Principle, and to decide for themselves whether they believe there is discrimination against First Nations children and youth. You can get involved by using the campaign's learning resources to understand the case, then taking peaceful and respectful action in support of reconciliation and equity — the same path thousands of children and adults have already taken, according to the Caring Society.

What the campaign is trying to do

The campaign is built around a simple premise: give people the information, then let them make up their own minds. Rather than telling visitors what conclusion to reach, it presents the case on First Nations child welfare and Jordan's Principle and asks them to judge for themselves whether discrimination exists against First Nations children and youth.

This matters because the case itself is a human rights matter before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. The campaign frames learning as the first step and personal judgment as the outcome — not a slogan to accept, but a conclusion to reach.

How to get involved

The Caring Society describes involvement as a sequence of learning followed by action. In practice, that means:

  1. Learn the case. Start with the campaign's own materials on the First Nations child welfare case and Jordan's Principle. The site's "I Am a Witness" section is the entry point, and the FNCFS Resources page has been updated to gather material on the Loving Justice Plan and long-term reform in one place.
  2. Decide for yourself. The campaign explicitly invites you to form your own view on whether there is discrimination against First Nations children and youth.
  3. Take peaceful and respectful action. The Caring Society notes that thousands of children have committed to learning about the case and have taken part in peaceful and respectful actions in support of reconciliation and equity. That is the model the campaign holds up for others.

If you want a concrete recurring action rather than a one-time step, Orange Shirt Day on September 30 is the site's most visible annual moment. The Caring Society invites people to honour Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by learning about Canada's history, reflecting on the legacy of the residential school system, and taking action.

What you can use once you're involved

The campaign sits within a wider set of Caring Society resources, so involvement doesn't end at the campaign page:

  • Knowledge Portal — a searchable database with annotated literature reviews, reports, guides, films, booklets, studies, journal articles, and presentations on Aboriginal children and families in Canada and similar countries.
  • FNCFS Resources — a consolidated page for learning about the Loving Justice Plan and long-term reform.
  • Spirit Bear — a member of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council who represents the 165,000 First Nations children impacted by the First Nations child welfare case at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, and who anchors much of the Society's public education work.
  • Jordan's Principle Scholarship — applications for 2026 are open, with a deadline of September 7, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time, for those whose involvement leads toward study in a related area.

Who this is for

The campaign is aimed at anyone willing to learn before forming a view — students, educators, community members, and people encountering the First Nations child welfare case for the first time. It is less useful if you are looking for a single petition to sign or a donation page; the site's emphasis is on education, reflection, and respectful action rather than a transactional ask.

A reasonable starting point: read the I Am a Witness material, check the FNCFS Resources page for the current state of the case and reform, and pick one action — attending or marking Orange Shirt Day, exploring the Knowledge Portal, or sharing what you learn — that you can repeat rather than do once.