The Federal Court has approved a $23 billion settlement agreement—the largest in Canadian history—for First Nations children and families who experienced racial discrimination through Ottawa's chronic underfunding of the on-reserve foster care system and other family services.
The settlement agreement follows a 2019 Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruling that ordered Ottawa to pay the maximum human rights penalty for discrimination: $40,000 for each affected First Nations child and family member.
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu said having a finalized compensation agreement is "good news," and "It is an acknowledgement of the significant harm that discrimination—I would say systemically racist funding—results in," she said.
Cindy Blackstock, the First Nations children's advocate who started the battle for federal compensation in 2007, said ending "root inequalities" in government programs will be key moving forward.
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