The federal government is dragging its feet on rectifying the inequalities in First Nations child welfare since last year’s Human Rights Tribunal ruling, advocate Cindy Blackstock says.
Last year, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled that Ottawa was discriminating against First Nations children by failing to provide equal welfare service.
They ordered the government to develop a new child welfare system as well as provide immediate funding relief.
But after one year, Blackstock told CTV’s Power Play that she hasn’t seen a lot of progress.
The Canadian Human Right Tribunal has already issued two non-compliance orders and Blackstock said further non-compliance orders will likely be put forward in March.
“The sad thing about this is when the government doesn’t comply, little kids are paying the price,” she said, referring to the recent string of suicides on remote First Nations communities.
However, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett argued that the government was “doing anything but dragging [their] feet” on the matter.
“Since the Jordan’s Principle definition was changed […] there are 1,500 more kids getting their needs met than in June last year,” she told CTV Power Play.
Bennett argued that the government has fixed the funding problem and that they are working towards implementing the reforms needed.
In the 2016 budget the government had earmarked $71 million for immediate relief and in July 2016 Health Minister Jane Philpott announced that the government will spend an additional $382 million over the next three years.
But Blackstock said she hasn’t seen the funding reach the children in need.
“Of the $382 million that they announced they’ve only spent about $11 million on kids,” she said. “We don’t know where the rest of that money has gone, but it hasn’t gone to help kids and it certainly didn’t go to see the kids in Northern Ontario.”
Although, Bennett said the “money is rolling out,” adding that more than $100 million will be coming March 31.
Bennett told Power Play that the government will now start focusing on the system reforms needed.
In the meantime Blackstock calls on the public to take action.
“What we need […] is for the public to say: no more racial discrimination against children. It’s unacceptable. There’s no excuse for it and it needs to end,” she said.
