‘Historic injustices call for historic reparations’: Ottawa reserves $ 40 billion for Indigenous children and First Nations families

OTTAWA – The liberal federal government says it is setting aside a whopping $ 40 billion to resolve pending indigenous child welfare demands and to meet the long-term needs of First Nations children and families.

Several First Nations leaders and advocates reacted positively but cautiously to the announcement, saying that discussions to resolve the lawsuits are still ongoing with no final decisions being made.

“There is still much work to be done,” said Cindy Blackstock, director of the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society, which initiated one of the key demands at the heart of the ongoing battle for reform, in an online statement.

Blackstock said the work of ensuring the safety and well-being of First Nations children, youth and families is “a sacred duty” owed to them.

Still, the allocation will be presented Tuesday in black and white in an economic update that the Liberal government had suggested would not reveal any big new spending measures.

Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu confirmed that Tuesday’s fall economic statement will now commit $ 40 billion, adding that “tragically, no amount of money can reverse the harms experienced by First Nations children or turn years back lost through separation from their families, communities and culture. “

“Historical injustices require historical reparations,” he said, then told CTV that the number is “an indication of how serious the government is” in making a long-term solution.

“These are 30 years of the cost of failure,” said Marc Miller, Minister for Crown-Indian Relations.

Miller told reporters that “fragile” negotiations led by retired Senator Murray Sinclair are still underway, but said he is “cautiously optimistic” that a resolution can be found in the next two weeks.

Sinclair, the former head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, agreed to mediate between First Nations groups and the government, and the government set a December 31 deadline to resolve the long-standing dispute; otherwise, he intended to continue the litigation.

Under Sinclair, Miller said that all parties have made progress in the past six weeks that “it would have taken us years to do so in a confrontational process.”

“Frankly, if we didn’t have Murray Sinclair, the talks would probably have broken down by now,” Miller added.

Miller explained that “roughly” half of the $ 40 billion is expected to go toward compensating individuals and families who were directly harmed by being removed from their communities and placed in foster homes where many suffered abuse and lost contact. with their families, culture and communities.

The remainder is expected to be allocated to “fix the system in the long term so that it no longer discriminates against indigenous children and their families,” Miller said.

That will involve money for capital investments and to ensure that First Nations agencies are adequately funded, he said.

Manitoba regional chief Cindy Woodhouse, who is leading the negotiations for the Assembly of First Nations, said in a statement Monday that the “up to $ 40 billion” deal is the result of the “long-term defense” of the AFN.

“This is a concrete example of what you can do when you are at the table instead of fighting in court,” he said.

AFN National Chief RoseAnne Archibald said: “The magnitude of the proposed compensation package is a testament to how many of our children were uprooted from their families and communities.”

“Money does not mean justice,” he said. “However, it indicates that we are on the road to recovery as we finalize long-term reform to ensure we fulfill our vision of children surrounded by the love and care of their families living in safe and vibrant communities.”

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