Judge approves historic $23B First Nations child welfare compensation agreement
CBC
The Federal Court has approved a $23 billion settlement agreement — the largest in Canadian history — for First Nations children and families who experienced racial discrimination through Ottawa's chronic underfunding of the on-reserve foster care system and other family services.
The settlement agreement follows a 2019 Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) ruling that ordered Ottawa to pay the maximum human rights penalty for discrimination: $40,000 for each affected First Nations child and family member.
The government fought the order but eventually negotiated an agreement after it faced two class action lawsuits, including one launched by the Assembly of First Nations that was later merged with another lawsuit.
On top of the $23 billion for compensation, the government set aside an additional $20 billion for long-term reform of the on-reserve child welfare system and family services.
More to come ...
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