The Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak made an announcement today that the AFN and federal government have finalized a deal on a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal complaint on discrimination in the First Nations Child and Family Services Program.
The agreement will see the government pay $47.8 billion to reform child welfare programs over the next 10 years.
The deal is more than double what was originally promised for long-term reform in a settlement agreement. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled Canada had discriminated against First Nations children due to the chronic underfunding of child welfare programs on reserve.
The initial amount was set at $20 billion.
“We have reached a historic turning point for First Nations children and families,” said Woodhouse Nepinak.
Throughout July, August, and into September, the AFN plans to meet with First Nations leaders at regional engagement sessions to discuss the details of the draft settlement agreement and hear their views. A Special Chiefs Assembly will also be held in September, where the First Nations-in-Assembly will deliberate on reforms of the FNCFS Program and vote on the proposed measures.
“With this commitment of $47.8 billion, we can confidently say that the draft final settlement agreement on longterm reform measures to FNCFS will address longstanding issues and will empower First Nations as sovereign rights holders to administer child welfare programs as they determine for themselves. As we know, First Nations are best positioned to care for our own children,” stated Woodhouse Nepinak.