Canadian Tribunal: Indigenous Child Welfare Deal Falls Short

Image copyright: Reuters [via TRT World]

The Facts

  • In a decision made public on Tuesday, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) rejected a CAD$40B agreement to compensate Indigenous children who reportedly faced discrimination in the welfare system, citing concerns that the deal doesn't go far enough.

  • The CHRT said the deal with the Assembly of First Nations — which set aside CAD$20B for individual compensation and CAD$20B for on-reserve welfare reform — excludes children removed from their homes and placed in non-federally funded placements and the estates of deceased caregivers.


The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

While, in the short-term, this is a disappointing outcome, it's a necessary one. The subpar agreement negligently excluded a vast number of individuals and is nothing more than a caricature of reconciliation. Rather than accepting this short-changed deal, the CHRT has rightly sent it back.

Establishment-critical narrative

Under the guise of advocating for First Nations people, the CHRT has deemed the agreement insufficient and delayed much-needed compensation for over 300k Indigenous Canadians who were counting on this settlement — an ironic ruling considering the deal was put together by First Nations people themselves.


Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO