The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) has rejected the federal government鈥檚 $40-billion child welfare offer, saying it did not meet the promised $40,000 compensation for each First Nations child and caregiver harmed by discrimination and institutionalized mistreatment.
Cindy Blackstock, executive director of First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, told 麻豆影视 Channel on Tuesday that the $40,000 compensation is the minimum recognition of the indignity First Nations families experienced, explaining that a $20-billion cap for compensation came when Canada 鈥渁greed with class-action lawyers that this would be the amount they work with.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about over a hundred thousand children removed from their families because the Canadian state gave their families less support to recover from the trauma of residential schools than people who didn鈥檛 go to residential schools.鈥�
Blackstock said her message to Canada and tribunal leaders is this: 鈥淢ake sure you don鈥檛 leave these people behind.鈥�
鈥淚t appears that they started to realize that there were so many victims hurt by Canada that they weren鈥檛 able to include all of the victims that were legally entitled to the $40,000 and started to make those choices.鈥�
Along with the cut costs, the tribunal also took issue with the shortened time frame for victims to opt out of the final settlement agreement.
The deal stipulates that claimants have until February 2023 to opt out of compensation and litigate on their own. If they don鈥檛 do this before the deadline, they won鈥檛 be able to take legal action individually.
鈥淭he Tribunal never envisioned disentitling the victims who have already been recognized before the Tribunal through evidence-based findings in previous rulings,鈥� the decision said.
In January, the Ottawa announced it had reached agreements which includes $20 billion for compensation and another $20 billion to reform the First Nations child-welfare system over five years. The full $40 billion was allocated in the 2021 fiscal update.
Blackstock said these children and parents who were affected by Canada鈥檚 discrimination should be given what was promised in the ruling.
鈥淲hen Canada announces its idea of going through the class action, the minister said 40 was the floor,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what should happen. Their [$40,000] should be paid.鈥�
