Ottawa, First Nations presenting plans to reform child welfare system

Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services, responds to a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — Ottawa and First Nations are presenting the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal with competing plans to reform the First Nations child welfare system today — the latest step in a lengthy fight that has stretched nearly 20 years.

The August tribunal order that mandated the proposals came nine years after it concluded that the federal government had discriminated against First Nations children by underfunding the on-reserve child welfare system.

That followed a joint 2007 human rights complaint filed by the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society.

Progress on a child welfare agreement to reform the system stalled in 2024 when First Nations twice rejected a $47.8-billion deal they said did not go far enough to protect kids.

Ottawa called a halt to formal talks on the issue with First Nations outside of Ontario.

Minister of Indigenous Services Mandy Gull-Masty says she spent much time analyzing why the last agreement didn’t pass, adding that the government decided to take a national approach that’s based on regional agreements.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press

With files from Alessia Passafiume