Close X
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
ADVT 
National

Announcement coming on child-welfare appeal: PM

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 Oct, 2021 09:53 AM
  • Announcement coming on child-welfare appeal: PM

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government is working down to the wire to decide Friday if it will continue fighting an order directing it to compensate First Nations children removed from their homes.

Speaking while on a trip to the Netherlands ahead of back-to-back international summits, he says ministers are working this morning in Ottawa to meet a deadline to decide whether to appeal the Federal Court ruling that upheld two historic decisions from the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.

Given his pledge to reconciliation and more Canadians becoming attuned to the legacy of residential schools, what Trudeau does next is being carefully watched by Indigenous leaders, advocates and parliamentarians.

In 2016, the human rightstribunal found Ottawa discriminated against First Nations children by knowingly underfunding child and family services for those living on reserve.

Litigants in the case, first brought forward in 2007, say this led to thousands of kids beingapprehendedfrom their families and enduring abuse and suffering in provincial foster care systems.

The tribunal said each First Nations child, along with their parents or grandparents, who were separated because of this chronic underfunding were eligible to receive $40,000 each in federal compensation, which was the maximum amount it could award.

It has been estimated some 54,000 children and their families could qualify, meaning Ottawa could be on the hook to pay more than $2 billion.

The tribunal also ruled that the criteria needed to be expanded so more First Nations children could be eligible for Jordan's Principle, a rule designed to ensure jurisdictional disputes over who pays for what doesn't prevent kids from accessing government services.

In 2019, the federal government asked the Federal Court to dismiss the tribunal's decisions. Part of its arguments, according to a court summary, was awarding individual compensation meant there needed to be proof of individual harm.

The Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, which launched the original complaint, along with other litigants say victims of systemic discrimination can be compensated as individuals without having to show individual examples of evidence.

On Sept. 29, the court upheld both tribunal decisions, opening up a 30-day legal window for the Liberals to file an appeal.

Since then, pressure has been mounting from opposition parties and Indigenous leaders on Trudeau to accept the ruling, rather than take it to the Federal Court of Appeal.

Trudeau said an announcement will be made later Friday and underscored his government is committed to compensating First Nations people who were harmed by child welfare systems.

"We are committed to working with partners to end this harmful system and to make sure that kids at-risk get to stay in their communities, in their culture, and be cared for by their communities," he said.

Figuring out what to do next has been one of the first major decisions his re-elected Liberal government and newly named cabinet ministers have had to grapple with.

Trudeau, along with his freshly appointed Indigenous services minister, Patty Hajdu, said earlier this week the case was being reviewed thoroughly and underscored that First Nations children would be compensated.

Despite that, neither directly ruled out seeking another court review, with Justice Minister David Lametti later saying there are different factors at play and that the file is a complicated one.

Child-welfare advocates and case litigants say if the Trudeau government is serious about its commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous People it won't go back to court.

Repairing Canada's relationship with Indigenous communities has long been a priority of Trudeau's, but the discovery of what are believed to be hundreds of unmarked graves at former residential school sites by First Nations in Saskatchewan and British Columbia have heightened Canadians' attention to his promise.

Trudeau has been under even more pressure to prove his commitment to reconciliation after choosing to spend the first national Truth and Reconcilation Day last month on vacation in Tofino, B.C., rather than attend a ceremony commemorating unmarked graves found at the former Kamloops residential school site. He has since visited the site and apologized profusely to the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc, which had issued an invitation for him to attend the Sept. 30 ceremony.

MORE National ARTICLES

New military ad campaign to be aimed at women

New military ad campaign to be aimed at women
The Canadian Armed Forces, which has long struggled to boost the number of women in its ranks, hopes to have them represent one-quarter of members by 2026.

New military ad campaign to be aimed at women

Ottawa repeats support offer to Saskatchewan

Ottawa repeats support offer to Saskatchewan
In a conversation with Premier Scott Moe yesterday, the Prime Minister's Office says the two leaders spoke about Saskatchewan's COVID-19 cases, increasing vaccination efforts and what the province needs to overcome the fourth wave of the pandemic.

Ottawa repeats support offer to Saskatchewan

Younger grades in Vancouver, Surrey to wear masks

Younger grades in Vancouver, Surrey to wear masks
The Surrey Board of Education issued a news release Wednesday saying it would also be mandating masks for all students in the district, from kindergarten to Grade 12, starting Monday. The board said it is partnering with Fraser Health to consider hosting vaccine clinics to increase vaccination rates.    

Younger grades in Vancouver, Surrey to wear masks

Canada marks Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Canada marks Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Singing and drumming were scheduled to ring out at 2:15 p.m. from Kamloops where the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation announced in May that ground-penetrating radar had detected what are believed to be 215 unmarked graves at the site of one of the largest former residential schools.

Canada marks Day for Truth and Reconciliation

813 COVID19 cases for Wednesday

813 COVID19 cases for Wednesday
There are 6,185 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 177,729 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 340 individuals are in hospital and 146 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.  

813 COVID19 cases for Wednesday

Detailed GHG plan coming in 'months': Wilkinson

Detailed GHG plan coming in 'months': Wilkinson
Wilkinson is in Milan this week for meetings with his global counterparts to set the final agenda for negotiations that will take place at the full United Nations climate change meetings in Glasgow in early November.

Detailed GHG plan coming in 'months': Wilkinson