Our schools are struggling to teach kids branded unteachable. In 1996, a Liberal member's bill was voted down after intensive lobbying by the alcoholic beverage industry. But Wasylycia-Leis expects to win this fight now. The U.S. has since adopted the warning labels and Canadians are starting to see the devastating impact of the incurable but preventable disability, she said. And Manitoba's aboriginal birth rate is booming.
Statistics show the aboriginal birth rate is four to six times higher than the general population.
At one First Nation school in Northern Manitoba, researchers found roughly 100 cases of FAS per 1,000 births. And for every child identified with fetal alcohol syndrome or some of its effects, there were probably two or three others with behavioural and learning problems caused by exposure to alcohol in utero, they said. Christopher's stuck himself in the arm with a needle he found in the schoolyard, gotten into fights, hit teachers and started fires inside and outside the school. But if life-long supports are in place, kids with FAS can grow up to be contributing members of society, Surbey said. Manitoba is asking Health Canada to fund a study of adults living with FAS in Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba.