Editor’s note: This article, originally published April 22, 2026, was edited April 27, 2026, to remove the name and identifying information of the child in care of Manitoba Child and Family Services.”A Manitoba First Nation mother is demanding answers after she claims her newborn baby was taken away from the Portage District General Hospital without explanation last week.The Sandy Bay Ojibway mother says she gave birth to a healthy baby on April 15. She says her family was happy – until Manitoba’s Child and Family Services (CFS) came to her hospital room and took the newborn away.A spokesperson for the family says the mother wasn’t given any paperwork.“The case worker didn’t get back to her after they apprehended the child, and they didn’t talk to her and explain anything at all,” he said.“They just took the baby with no questions asked. Nothing at all.”CityNews is not identifying the baby or the mother given their involvement with child welfare agencies. In Manitoba, the Child and Family Services Act prevents media from naming children in provincial care. It also prohibits the naming of children’s parents or foster parents, or any information that would identify them to the public.The Manitoba mother says she lost her first child to CFS when she was 16 years old due to drug use. But she says this time around, she was clean during her entire pregnancy and doesn’t know why this happened to her again.“It made me cry, I didn’t want to let my son go when I really wanted him to come home with me,” she said.CFS told CityNews in a statement it’s “working with the family to ensure that all actions taken are in the best interest of the child and everyone involved.“We recognize the impact these situations have on families and communities, and we remain committed to respectful, culturally appropriate, and supportive approaches moving forward!”The mother claims she has not been given access to medical or drug test results. She is requesting further drug testing to prove her case.“They should have disclosed that information to her and letting her know that ‘hey we are here to take your child because of drug use from the past, or you tested positive,’” the family spokesperson said. “But nothing like that, the doctors did not disclose that information.”Manitoba officially ended the practice of birth alerts on July 1, 2020. The alerts were used to notify hospitals and CFS agencies of the need for further assessment before a newborn was discharged to the care of a parent who was assessed as “high risk.”That practice was replaced by what the province calls preventative and community-based support for families.“Our first priority is always to have newborns supported at home with their families whenever it is safe to do so,” Manitoba’s Ministry of Families told CityNews in a statement.The family hopes to have answers soon and says it will keep fighting until the baby is returned.“She deserves her child,” the family spokesperson said. “Every child matters. Every child deserves a second chance to live with their mother. No child should have no mother, no father.”