愛污传媒

Skip to main content

AFN head urges support for child welfare deal, says they won't get better from Tories

An attendee walks past a banner at the Assembly of First Nations annual general assembly in Montreal, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi An attendee walks past a banner at the Assembly of First Nations annual general assembly in Montreal, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
Share
OTTAWA -

The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is urging chiefs to vote in favour of a landmark child welfare deal, saying she doesn't think a better agreement would be possible under a different federal government.

First Nations chiefs are gathering in Calgary today as they prepare to vote on a $47.8-billion child welfare reform agreement with Ottawa.

The deal was struck in July between Canada, the Chiefs of Ontario, Nishnawbe Aski Nation and the Assembly of First Nations after a nearly two-decade legal fight over Canada's underfunding of on-reserve child welfare services.

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal said that was discriminatory and tasked Canada with coming to an agreement with First Nations to reform the system, along with compensating children who were torn from their families and put in foster care.

Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says there are some shortfalls in the agreement, but she is urging chiefs to vote in favour of the deal so it is in place before the next federal election.

Woodhouse Nepinak says she's tried to build bridges with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, but she can't guarantee a better deal could be reached with him based on that party's record on Indigenous issues and its promise to cut spending.

Chiefs in Ontario voted in support of the agreement last week, but the AFN is set to discuss three resolutions this week calling for the deal to be struck down or renegotiated.

Chiefs have raised concerns since before July that the agreement was being negotiated in secret, while experts have said the deal doesn't go far enough to ensure Canada's discrimination never happens again.

The AFN's special assembly continues until Friday, with chiefs expected to vote on the deal Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.

IN DEPTH

Opinion

opinion

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

Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.

At least seven large-scale butter thefts have been reported in Guelph, Ont. over a 10-month period, including two hauls in just the last month.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault promised on Tuesday to toughen secularism measures in schools, saying he was 'shocked' by revelations about a Montreal public school where a group of teachers had tried to introduce what the premier described as 'Islamist' beliefs.

Local Spotlight

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.

A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥

Stay Connected