Photo: Christine Muschi The Canadian Press Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, during her opening speech at the annual general assembly of the Assembly of First Nations
Alessia Passafiume – The Canadian Press
Posted at 5:01 p.m.
- Canada
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the federal government finalized an agreement Wednesday evening that will see the federal government spend $47.8 billion to reform child welfare programs over the of the next 10 years.
APN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak made the announcement on the last day of the AFN Annual General Meeting in Montreal, just two days after telling chiefs that an offer had been put on the table, but that it could not yet discuss it publicly.
Although her announcement was met with cheers, concerns remained Thursday among some who accused her and the AFN of working on the sly to finalize a deal that would affect their children for generations to come.< /p>
The agreement aims to repair decades of discrimination against First Nations children, removed from their families and placed in foster care because child protection systems childhood on reserves were not adequately funded to provide services that would keep families together.
“There was so much pain and harm caused by this racist child protection policy in each of our First Nations communities and in our families,” recalled Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak during a press conference.
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The federal government is responsible for child welfare on reserves, and provincial governments are responsible for child welfare programs elsewhere. But Ottawa's funding was on par with the provinces for foster care because they had to pay provincial agencies to provide this service at provincial rates.
L The APN is expected to ratify the agreement during an extraordinary assembly in September.
Fundamental change
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu shed a few tears as Woodhouse Nepinak discussed the monumental agreement they had reached.
“It’s a attempt to bring some peace to the families, communities and people of the First Nations who suffered the heinousness of colonialism through what I would describe as the cruelest policy, which consists of separating families”, mentioned the minister.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict said the agreement marks a fundamental change in the relationship between First Nations and Ottawa.
“I can tell you that as a member of the negotiating team, we are happy with the agreement we got. Otherwise, we would not have proposed it,” he mentioned, thanking Minister Hajdu for her support. “It’s revolutionary. »
He added that First Nations people will now begin the process of discussing the agreement on its merits. “It’s now in the hands of our communities. »
Improved agreement
The agreement is worth more than double what was initially promised for long-term reform in a settlement agreement resulting from a hotly contested human rights complaint over the underfunding of child welfare services.
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has ruled that Canada discriminated against First Nations children due to chronic underfunding of child welfare programs.
The initial amount was expected to be $20 billion. A separate $23 billion has been set aside to compensate children and families harmed by the system.
Families who helped launch the original lawsuit have stood by alongside the minister and the national leader to announce the news.
Concerns and dissent
The process of reaching this historic agreement was marred by the concerns of leaders across the country, with child protection dominating sidelines, last-minute resolutions and closed-door meetings, although 'they were mostly erased from the initial agenda.
Four regional leaders who sit alongside Woodhouse Nepinak on the Assembly's executive committee wrote letters to her in June denouncing her efforts to reach an agreement, saying she was overstepping her mandate by making decisions that would directly affect children and First Nations families without their consent.
Chiefs Bobby Cameron, Terry Teegee, Ghislain Picard and Joanna Bernard represent more than half of Canada's First Nations.
They also accused the AFN of trying to exclude the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society from the process, although they jointly filed a human rights complaint regarding Ottawa's underfunding of child welfare services on reserves.
Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak denied the allegations and said the chiefs could view the agreement before it is voted on at a special chiefs' meeting in the fall.
She also promised to listen to the feedback she received.
“You asked us to seek an agreement with Canada. You have pushed us time and time again to continue negotiating in the right direction, she reminded the leaders. I receive instructions from you. Not agencies, not AFN, not staff, not anyone else, but leaders. »
She revealed the dollar amount during a closed-door meeting with the chiefs and their proxies on Tuesday.
During that meeting, she spoke about the political risks of not accepting the deal that is on the table, according to a source present in the room, but who requested anonymity because she was not authorized to share details publicly.
This risk refers to the fact that a federal election is looming and a new Conservative-led government is possible.
When asked what would happen if there was a change of government next year, Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak responded that there is a financial commitment that the next government, “in theory”, will not be able to deny.