Carrier Sekani Family Services Pleased With Tribunal
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PRINCE GEORGE — The Carrier Sekani Family Services Society is declaring a victory from the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. After three court cases, in which a number of First Nations social welfare agencies sued the Government of Canada, the Human rights Tribunal has upheld their case.
In it, the Government of Canada has been ordered to cease its discriminatory practices of underfunding the cost child welfare for Indigenous children, especially those on-reserve.
“This ruling is a victory for our children. Now we will have the resources to work with our nations to keep our children home where they belong, in community with their families and loved ones,” said Mary Teegee, Carrier Sekani Family Services Executive Director of Child and Family Services, and, Chair of the BC First Nations Delegated Indigenous Agencies Directors Forum. “This new ruling by the Tribunal presents the first real opportunity for British Columbia Indigenous agencies to provide much-needed prevention services based on actual and equitable costing.”
The Tribunal has ordered the government to provide funding for prevention-based child welfare services, and to reimburse First Nation child welfare agencies retroactive to January 26, 2016. Canada has until May 3, 2018, to identify which First Nations agencies were under-funded.
