NFB Showcase: We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice

In 2007, the Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and the Assembly of First Nations filed a landmark discrimination complaint against Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada. We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice documents this epic court challenge, giving voice to the tenacious childcare workers at its epicentre; especially Caring Society executive director Cindy Blackstock, who was spied on and harassed by the federal government for her part in this saga. Celebrated documentarian Alanis Obomsawin (Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance) takes us through all the stages of this long legal battle without ever losing sight of the well-being of children and the sustainability of Indigenous culture.

Director: Alanis Obomsawin

Writer: Alanis Obomsawin