Canadian Government, AFN Reach Child Welfare Settlement

MAR 28 2022·Updated SEP 20 2022

Story

Image credit: The Canadian Press [via CBC]

The Facts

The Canadian government and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) reached a $15.55B ($20B CAD) settlement to compensate Indigenous children who were harmed by the child welfare system.
Al Jazeera
The complaint was initiated in 2007, and in 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal found that chronic underfunding of child welfare services on reserves was discriminatory.
The Globe and Mail
Census data indicates that while just 7.7% of Canada's total child population was Indigenous in 2016, they represented more than 52% of children in foster care in the same year.
Al Jazeera
In 2019, the tribunal ruled that a maximum of $31,094 ($40K CAD) should be awarded to each Indigenous child unnecessarily placed in foster care. This settlement is expected to cover these payments.
Al Jazeera
The deal accounts for half of a fund that was announced in Jan. and is earmarked for the reform of the First Nations child welfare system.
CTVNews
The settlement still needs to be approved by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and the Federal Court.
CBC

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

This settlement is a victory that marks the end of years of advocacy and negotiations. It will help address the ongoing trauma and legacy of Indigenous Canadians and give them the compensation they deserve.

CTVNews

Establishment-critical narrative

While this is certainly good news, it's too soon to celebrate: the government has a history of exchanging goodwill words without following through with action. This settlement hasn't yet received final approval, and its implementation may prove to be more difficult than anticipated.

Thespec