Ottawa is facing a court-ordered deadline to present a new strategy for transforming the on-reserve child welfare system, while a coalition of First Nations leaders and child advocates is preparing an alternative proposal. The federal government has until December 22 to deliver its plan to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal after the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) turned down the previous government’s $47.8 billion long-term reform offer last year.
Prime Minister Mark Carney stated during a speech at the AFN special chiefs assembly in Ottawa that their approach to child welfare will be led by First Nations and communities, with substantial additional funding support. The government’s proposal will be pitted against a plan from a First Nations-led group called the National Children’s Chiefs Commission.
Members of this group, consisting of First Nations leaders and child advocates, express distrust toward Ottawa in ending discrimination within the on-reserve child welfare system. They are pushing for the tribunal to consider the commission’s plan to ensure reforms are carried out according to their terms for the benefit of their children.
Pauline Frost, chair of the commission and chief of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation in the Yukon, emphasized the importance of a model that integrates cultural integrity and humility, designed by and for Indigenous people.
The two proposals are being formulated almost a decade after a groundbreaking ruling by the tribunal that found Ottawa guilty of racially discriminating against First Nations children by underfunding First Nations Child and Family Services. This development follows a joint human rights complaint filed by the AFN and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society in 2007.
Cindy Blackstock, the society’s executive director, mentioned that the commission is aiming for long-term funding close to $50 billion, emphasizing the need for financial security over a period exceeding 10 years. Blackstock stressed the importance of not only the funding amount but also the certainty and effective utilization of the funds to yield optimal outcomes.
The commission, directed by the AFN’s chiefs-in-assembly, is gathering perspectives from each AFN region to develop its framework independently from the government. Blackstock expressed hope that the government’s approach of ignoring or litigating against them would change following the prime minister’s commitment.
Indigenous Services Minister Many Gull-Masty refrained from confirming the government’s proposed funding amount but indicated efforts to bridge the gap between the government and the commission, potentially leading to a hybrid plan. Gull-Masty emphasized the urgency of addressing the technicalities of an agreement to prevent further delays in addressing the welfare of children in care.
Frost, responding to Gull-Masty’s statements, acknowledged the desire for collaboration but expressed reservations about merging strategies at the current juncture.