NDP ‘astonished’ by government’s challenge to compensation order for First Nations children
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is facing criticism after the federal government announced it would appeal a Human Rights Tribunal ruling about First Nations children harmed by underfunding of the on-reserve child welfare system.
In September, the tribunal ordered the federal government to pay $40,000 to each child — the maximum allowed under the Canadian Human Rights Act — who was apprehended or taken from their homes on reserve, no matter what the reason.
In a statement released by his office, Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O’Regan said the government agrees that affected individuals should be compensated — but it wants time to “address important questions and considerations such as who is to be compensated and the role of the Tribunal.”
Charlie Angus, NDP candidate in the riding of Timmins-James Bay, says that the government’s response proves Trudeau’s approach to Indigenous relations is similar to those of his predecessors, rather than the new approach to reconciliation he had previously promised.
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