Trudeau's government will compensate for the systemic underfunding of First Nations child welfare programs, costing the government $23 billion with a minimum of $40,000 per individual.. Patricia Hajdu .Indigenous Services Minister Patricia Hajdu said it is “an important piece of healing.”.“No amount of money can make people whole, but it is an important piece of healing because it’s an acknowledgement of the discrimination,” Hajdu told reporters..“It is a total of just over $23.34 billion at this point.”.“Is it guaranteed all children and families affected will receive a minimum $40,000?” asked a reporter..“Yes, the minimum compensation is $40,000,” replied Hajdu..“Is the government prepared to provide funding for long-term reform beyond the $23 billion?” asked a reporter..“I am less focused on the ultimate cost of the long-term reform,” replied Hajdu..Cabinet in 2021 said direct compensation plus mandated child welfare services could cost $40 billion, according to Blacklock’s Reporter..“This is 30 years of the cost of failure and that cost is high,” Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said at the time..The federal court in 2020 upheld billions in claims of systemic underfunding of First Nations aid programs under a 1965 Child Welfare Agreement..Human rights complaints in the case date from 2007..“The underlying matters in this application have been ongoing for over a decade,” wrote Justice Paul Favel, who called it an “extraordinary proceeding which involves a vulnerable segment of our society.” .The Court upheld a 2019 Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruling that Parliament must pay $40,000 each to former children, their parents or grandparents, including damages for pain and suffering..The Parliamentary Budget Office, in a 2021 report Compensation For The Delay And Denial Of Services To First Nations Children, estimated up to 250,000 children, parents, and grandparents were eligible for compensation..Final costs were “highly uncertain,” wrote analysts..“I think this is the largest in Canadian history,” said Assembly of First Nations Manitoba Regional Chief Cindy Woodhouse..“But it’s a big issue.”.“Once the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has endorsed this agreement, it will then be taken to the federal court for approval,” said Woodhouse..Payments would be processed as early as “late 2023 or early 2024 and funds will start to flow thereafter.”.First Nations also expected an apology from the prime minister, said Woodhouse..“While an apology and compensation will not bring back our children or make up for the lost childhoods or connections to family and culture, we have heard from survivors that this will mark an important step on their healing journey.”
