Indigenous advocates question who PM is consulting with on First Nations kids ruling
Some Indigenous advocates and leaders say they don't know who Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is talking about when he says Ottawa is holding consultations on a ruling that affirms the need to compensate First Nations children.
Trudeau made the statement earlier this week while visiting the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc in British Columbia.
Time is ticking down on a 30-day legal window for the Liberal government to appeal a decision released by the Federal Court on Sept. 29 upholding rulings by a human rights tribunal around services and compensation for First Nations children.
Speaking about the ruling in B.C. on MondayTrudeau said "we are consulting with Indigenous partners and leaders" and looking at the "implications" of the decision.
Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, one of the litigants, says that comment came as a surprise because her group hasn't heard anything.
"All I can say is everyone I've spoken with, no one's heard anything, so I don't know who they're talking to, but the bottom line is the most important people to talk to are those who are actually in the courtroom," Blackstock said Wednesday.
The Chiefs of Ontario, also a party to the case, confirmed in a statement "it has not been consulted by the prime minister or the government of Canada on these matters through any of the mechanisms we have established to discuss the implementation of the tribunal's orders."
It says a national table has been created for consultation on the orders, as well as regional one for Ontario.
Congress of Aboriginal Peoples National Chief Elmer St. Pierre says it hasn't been consulted despite being an intervener in the case involving the expansion of Jordan's Principle, a rule stating Ottawa steps in when there's disagreement about which level of government provides service to a First Nations child.
Requests for comment to the Prime Minister's Office and Indigenous Services Canada were not immediately returned.
In September 2019, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordered the federal government to pay $40,000 to each First Nations child removed from their home after 2006, as well as to their parents, after earlier ruling Ottawa had discriminated against Indigenous children by knowingly underfunding child and family services on reserve.
It was estimated that around 54,000 children and their parents could be eligible to receive compensation, which would likely cost the federal government more than $2 billion.
Under Trudeau, the federal government sought a judicial review of the decision with the Federal Court. He stressed Monday that children removed from their communities and endured suffering while in the care of provincial authorities "deserve compensation."
"This government will be compensating them. There's no question about that."
Cora Morgan, First Nations family advocate with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said she found it interesting the Federal Court's ruling to uphold this decision was released on the eve of the country's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, designed to honour survivorssent as children to the residential school system.
The discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves by First Nations at the former sites of residential schools in B.C. and Saskatchewan has renewed Canadians' attention to the promises the federal government has made to advance reconciliation, including its implementation of the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which chronicled the abuses inflicted upon Indigenous children through church-run residential schools.
Blackstock said if Ottawa chooses to file an appeal it would delay justice for the children who suffered under government discrimination and take aim at the top calls to action around improving child welfare.
"These are the most important things that survivors wanted done."
Morgan said the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefshasn't been consulted despite the fact Manitoba has the highest rate of First Nations children in the provincial child and family system, which she said remains operating at "full speed."
"It's one thing to engage leadership, but it's another thing to also engage the people that are affected. There are thousands and thousands of children currently in the child welfare system, there are thousands that have aged out of the child welfare system. We know our prisons and jails are filled with First Nations people that were formerly in the child welfare system," she said.
"In Winnipeg right now we have a homeless population that's exploded and a majority of those are children that have aged out of the child welfare system. There's all these negative impacts on our people that should be accounted for when we're looking at these landmark rulings."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2021.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.
Iran's judiciary confirms rapper Toomaj Salehi death sentence
Iran's judiciary confirmed the death sentence of well-known Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi but added that he is entitled to a sentence reduction, state media reported on Thursday.
Local Spotlight
Fergus, Ont. man feels nickel-and-dimed for $0.05 property tax bill
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
'I'm committed': Oilers fan won't cut hair until Stanley Cup comes to Edmonton
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
'It's not my father's body!' Wrong man sent home after death on family vacation in Cuba
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
'Once is too many times': Education assistants facing rising violence in classrooms
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
What is capital gains tax? How is it going to affect the economy and the younger generations?
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Cat found at Pearson airport 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.