PM says he will apologize for First Nations child welfare discrimination
CBC
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to publicly apologize for the discrimination faced by First Nations children and their families because of the federal government's child welfare policies, CBC News has learned.
Trudeau outlined the government's plan for the apology in a June 17 letter to Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak.
"I confirm that the Government of Canada is committed to delivering a public apology for the discriminatory conduct … and the past and ongoing harm it caused," Trudeau wrote in the letter, obtained by CBC News.
Trudeau says in the letter he's asked Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu and Justice Minister Arif Virani to lead consultations on the apology's content.
Hajdu's office confirmed it's discussing with First Nations partners what the apology could look like and what steps need to be taken before it happens.
"This is an essential step on the path to reconciliation," said Hajdu's spokesperson Simon Ross.
The apology would fulfil one of the government's commitments in a recently finalized $23 billion settlement agreement that aims to provide compensation to First Nations people affected by federal policies that encouraged the removal of their children.
Under the deal, more than 300,000 First Nations children and family members will each receive tens of thousands of dollars because Ottawa chronically and knowingly underfunded First Nations child and family services on reserves and in the Yukon.
Federal lawyers will work with the settlement agreement lawyers and other First Nations partners to seek their views on the apology's content, timing and venue.
Woodhouse Nepanik told CBC News she plans to ask Trudeau to apologize when Parliament resumes after its summer break.
The agreement is based on a 2016 ruling from the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal that found Canada engaged in wilful and reckless discrimination against First Nations children and families by failing to provide them with the same level of child and family services provided elsewhere.
In 2019, the tribunal ordered Canada to pay the maximum human rights penalty of $40,000 per First Nations child and family member.
In addition to compensation, Ottawa also promised an additional $20 billion to reform First Nations child and family services policies.
"Addressing the harms suffered by First Nations children and families is at the heart of the agreement and a meaningful step in the reconciliation process," Trudeau wrote.
With the B.C. NDP and B.C. Conservatives neck and neck heading into election day on Saturday, there are also a record number of Independent candidates who — if voted in — could hold the balance of power in a minority government scenario. British Columbians have only elected one Independent MLA in the last 60 years. Vicki Huntington won a seat in 2009 and was re-elected in 2013. But University of the Fraser Valley political scientist Hamish Telford said the situation could be different this election cycle. Of the 40 Independent candidates running, six of them are incumbent MLAs, who carry the benefit of name recognition in their community. "So we've got Independents in this election who I think we could deem to be viable shots at actually winning a riding, which is not normal," Telford said. "They're still long shots, but they are certainly plausible candidates."
Though Bill C-282 has received cross-party federal support in Ottawa, Alberta's provincial government says it's not a backer of the Bloc Québécois legislation that aims to prevent Canada's supply-managed sectors — dairy, poultry and eggs — from being included in future international trade negotiations.
A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and 15 others are facing criminal charges for allegedly running a drug-trafficking operation that shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Canada and used violence — including murder — to achieve the group's goals, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday.