Feds to address First Nations child welfare funding gap, but no dollar details
OTTAWA — The next federal budget will include more money for First Nations child welfare services on reserves, Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott said Wednesday — but she stopped short of saying how much.
The Liberal government is keen to fix the “funding gap” in the resources available to Indigenous children as compared to non-Indigenous kids, Philpott said Wednesday as she spoke to chiefs at a special meeting convened by the Assembly of First Nations.
She referenced the Liberal government’s Budget 2016 allocation of $635 million for child welfare supports before acknowledging that the Liberals have since been called out repeatedly, including on human rights grounds, for not doing enough.
“You and other partners, as well as the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, have highlighted that more must be done,” she told Indigenous leaders. “You have noted the gap between the resources provided for child welfare for Indigenous children and non-Indigenous children.