History

Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation  is a progressive community that confronts social deviance and problems.  GAN has developed many initiatives to deal with our social situations, but we are usually derailed by governments or other social services agencies.  GAN signed several Agreements and Settlements to promote change and improve the quality of life for future generations. Compensation has never been the end-state but rather using the financial advantage for generations who can benefit from our wealth creation and management. 

GAN has always had ambitions of developing our own Laws to combat and control social deviance and problems. GAN possesses Aboriginal and Treaty rights protected by Section 35 of The Constitution Act, 1982, including inherent jurisdiction in relation to child and family services.  In the past, our children, youth, parents, and families were subject to the egregious harms of Indian Residential Schools, Indian Day Schools, Youth Justice, Forced adoptions, and the Sixties scoop, and we continue to be harmed today by the mainstream child welfare system.

GAN has always looked to the next steps of healing after recognizing the wide-ranging impacts of removal and resettlement and spiraling social struggles that are getting out of control.  A vision where children can come home, and our community can begin to heal together from government's willful acts inflicted upon our people.  The community of GAN have been working to redesign how child welfare agencies, law enforcement and other collateral social and health agencies have been delivering services.  We assumed some services and established a Central Coordinating Agency called Aakwiinowin in 1982. 

GAN has been developing our own law since 1980, and our first Draft was concluded in 1992.  This draft was presented to Ontario in 1993, instead of engaging in negotiations for exemptions under the Child, Youth, and Family Services Act, 1990 (CYFSA) they chose to approve the Lac La Croix Sexual Abuse Program on a one-time basis.  The first draft of the GAN Law was featured in a report from Grand Council Treaty No. 3 called a “Starving man doesn't argue” in 1992.  In 2016 Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation started to revive the development of the Law and two reports were completed in 2018 entitled “Abinooji Ombigi' Aawsowin” and “Terms of Reference for the Abinooji Mawendoobiwin of Gakijiwanong”.  These reports and interviews, group discussions and community meetings led to the development of the Law called Abinooji Ombigi ‘Aasowin” in 2022 and enacted on December 19th, 2024.   

GAN has decided to exercise our inherent jurisdiction over child, youth, parents, family, and Clans by developing our own childcare Law.  The GAN Law was enacted in December 19th, 2023, at our Round House.  GAN served Notice of our intent to develop and implement our Law on November 1st, 2023.   The GAN Law came into force on January 19th, 2026, and we are now prepared and ready to implement a culturally competent childcare system to benefit the  children, youth, parents, families, and Clans. Decision-making and services that are shaped by the community, delivered by the community, and directed by the community.  GAN is continuing the negotiations for a trilateral Coordination Agreement consisting of GAN, Canada and Ontario and two bilateral Agreements one with Canada referred to as Fiscal Relationship Agreement  and one with Ontario called a Transfer Payment Agreement while implementing our Law for delivering programs and services.