A Manitoba‑wide study finds First Nations mothers in Manitoba face a significantly higher risk of premature death after their children are removed by the child welfare system. On January 20, 2026, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) released a statement highlighting research, published in The Lancet Public Health, that found mortality risk following child removal was more than four times higher for First Nations mothers and almost three times higher for non‑First Nations mothers — compared with non‑First Nations mothers whose children were not removed.
The study used de‑identified health and social services records stored in the Population Research Data Repository at the University of Manitoba’s Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. It reviewed Manitoba data from April 1998 to March 2022 and identified preventable causes that accounted for many maternal deaths after child removal, with leading causes including suicide, accidental poisoning (overdose), unintentional injury and — for First Nations mothers in particular — homicide.
The AMC quoted Grand Chief Kyra Wilson in its Jan. 20 statement: ‘When a child is removed from their family, it should not trigger a cascade of harm. The instability makes reunification harder and prolongs trauma for families and children alike.’ Advocates and researchers cited poverty, housing instability and the ongoing effects of colonization and structural racism as contributors to child removal and the attendant harms to parents.
Norway House’s child and family services agency, Kinosao Sipi Minisowin Agency (KSMA), operates Family Enhancement and prevention programs intended to preserve family unity and support parenting skills. KSMA’s mandate and programming emphasise culturally grounded supports and prevention, goals that local leaders say align with the study’s recommendations to reduce reliance on child removal.
Researchers and First Nations leaders are calling for policy changes and increased, targeted funding for First Nations‑led solutions, prevention services, and supports that keep parents meaningfully involved and provide resources for reunification. The AMC’s statement and media coverage say these changes are needed to address poverty‑related drivers of apprehension and to ensure mothers receive the mental health, housing and financial support needed to stay healthy and pursue reunification.
For more information: the AMC press release (Jan. 20, 2026) and news coverage summarising the study are available online; the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy holds the linked administrative data used in the research.
