AFN national chief says child-welfare funding to top $20B as chiefs raise concerns
OTTAWA — The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says it is about to finalize a deal with Ottawa on child-welfare reforms that will top the $20 billion promised as part of a landmark settlement.
Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak is calling it a “monumental agreement” and says she will continue to work with chiefs before they ratify it later this year.
Three regional chiefs representing more than half of First Nations recently penned a letter to Woodhouse Nepinak saying the AFN is overstepping by making decisions about reforms without consulting with children and families.
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They also raised concerns that the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, which jointly launched the human-rights complaint that led to the settlement agreement, is being frozen out.
Woodhouse Nepinak says the agreement is unlikely to include funding to ensure Jordan’s Principle is followed.
That’s a legal rule that says First Nations children must receive the health care and social services they need even if there is a jurisdictional dispute over which government should pay for it.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2024.
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The Canadian Press