By Canadian Press

AFN head told chiefs draft child-welfare reform deal with Ottawa worth $47.8B: source

Jul 10, 2024 | 2:02 AM

MONTREAL — The head of the Assembly of First Nations has informed chiefs that a draft deal with Ottawa on child-welfare reforms is worth $47.8 billion, a source who was in the room says — more than double what was initially promised.

National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak revealed that number to chiefs and their proxies on Tuesday afternoon, says the source, who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to share the details publicly.

She also referred to the political risks of not accepting the deal that is on the table, the source said, and affirmed that she wanted chiefs to be able to discuss the offer before voting on the matter at a special assembly this fall.

The closed-door session, which members of the media were not allowed to attend, was part of the AFN’s annual general assembly being held in Montreal this week.

A spokesperson for Woodhouse Nepinak would not immediately offer a comment when asked to confirm the source’s account and the $47.8-billion figure.

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The federal government originally promised $20 billion for long-term reforms to the child welfare system, but Woodhouse Nepinak recently told The Canadian Press that the deal with Ottawa would likely top that amount.

That was part of a $43-billion settlement offer that resulted from a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruling that Ottawa discriminated against Indigenous kids by chronically underfunding child welfare services in First Nations.

The other $23 billion was set aside to compensate about 300,000 people harmed by a system that often placed kids in foster care instead of offering support to help families stay together.

On Tuesday morning, during opening remarks to chiefs that were broadcast publicly, Woodhouse Nepinak had said that she couldn’t say openly how much money was on the table. But she said she was “very happy” about the compensation.

The AFN brought the original human-rights case alongside the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society. Its executive director, Cindy Blackstock, had been calling for Ottawa to commit a much higher amount to the reform effort.

She said Tuesday that calculations from experts suggested $57 billion was needed to fully fix the system over the next 10 years, not including capital investments. And she criticized Woodhouse Nepinak for keeping the latest offer secret.

In the lead-up to the three-day meeting, the AFN’s negotiations with Ottawa had been criticized by four regional chiefs representing more than half of First Nations in Canada.

They penned letters to Woodhouse Nepinak last month raising concern that the deal was being made in secret.

Woodhouse Nepinak said in response that that wasn’t the case, and all chiefs would be able to see the draft agreement before a vote scheduled for later this year.

On Wednesday, chiefs are expected to hear from the minister of Crown-Indigenous relations.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh are scheduled to speak on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2024.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press