child welfare

Ontario First Nation leaders are applauding a ruling by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.

It is approving an agreement they reached with the federal government regarding child welfare reform.

First Nations leader says the Tribunal’s decision confirms that the Ontario Final Agreement is sufficient to achieve the objectives of its previous orders to address and eliminate systemic racial discrimination in First Nations Child and Family Services in Ontario.

Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict says the ruling affirms the inherent right of First Nations to care for their own children.

“Moving forward with today’s decisions will result in no further delay for our families and our children to receive the justice that they deserve,” says Benedict.

“Our communities in this region are ready. They have chosen to exercise, you have chosen to exercise your self-determination, and this agreement reaffirms that.”

The agreement commits the federal government to $8.5 billion in funding.

Ontario’s First Nations opened negotiations with the feds after a national agreement failed to pass twice at the Assembly of First Nations gatherings.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation’s Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler says their leadership saw value in it.

“Because they acknowledged and they recognized that the current child welfare system that’s being currently designed and administered to our communities and especially to our children is very harmful,” says Fiddler.

“That is why they managed to give us that mandate just a little over a year ago, a year and four months ago, to go out and negotiate with Canada. And that’s the agreement that our Chiefs from NAN and from Chiefs of Ontario approved and ratified a year ago, February.”

Grand Council Treaty #3 also welcomes the Tribunal’s decision.

It says it is a key step towards implementing long-term reform of childcare services in Ontario.

“People from across Treaty #3 and all across Ontario have dedicated enormous amounts of time and energy to bring their skills to a discussion of how best to reform the system of child care in Ontario so that all of our children can lead happy and fulfilling lives in our communities,” states Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh in a release.

“I could not be more proud of everyone involved and hope we can all take time to reflect on what we have accomplished.”

The First Nation leaders say their work has always been for the children, but acknowledge it is not finished.

Benedict says this includes sitting down with federal officials to discuss how the funding will flow and working at the community level on implementation.

“That is building the capacity in communities, embracing community laws, ensuring that all of the elements that are in this agreement are mobilized and operationalized so that our children, our families will receive the benefits,” says Benedict.

Some communities have already started some of that work.

North Caribou Lake recently opened a new child and family services facility, while Deer Lake has a new office in Thunder Bay to support children and families living in the city.