Summary:
- Canada has informed the AFN that Canada’s mandate does not allow for further negotiations at the national level of First Nations Child and Family Services (FNCFS) long-term reforms.
- Canada intends to continue negotiations with the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) and the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), whose congregations supported the draft agreement. These discussions will focus on an Ontario-specific agreement based on the terms of the draft agreement.
- Without Canada’s willingness to negotiate domestically, the next option for pushing long-term reforms may be litigation.
- The next steps will be guided by discussions with the AFN Executive Committee, informed by chiefs from their regions, to determine how best to support First Nations children and families during these new developments.
Following the Special Chiefs Assembly in October 2024, where the Chiefs-in-Assembly rejected the draft agreement on proposed reforms to the First Nations Child and Family Services Program, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) has repeatedly called on Canada to seek a new mandate for further negotiations on long-term reforms, in accordance with resolutions #60/2024, Address long-term reforms to First Nations child and family services programs and the Jordan Principleand #61/2024, Meaningful consultation on long-term reform of First Nations child and family services.
In a letter dated January 6, 2025, from legal counsel for the Department of Justice, AFN was informed that Canada’s mandate does not allow for further negotiations at the national level on the reform of the FNCFS program. Instead, Canada announced that it will negotiate a regionally specific agreement for Ontario with the COO and NAN, whose congregations supported the draft agreement. These Ontario-specific discussions will be based on the terms of the existing draft agreement.
Without Canada’s willingness to negotiate domestically, the next option for pushing long-term reforms may be litigation. Next steps will be guided by discussions with the AFN Executive Committee to determine how best to support First Nations children and families during these new developments.
For media inquiries, contact Kelly Reid, Senior Communications Officer, at (email protected).
