The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) on Tuesday rejected a compensation offer by the Canadian government to provide 40 billion Canadian dollars (30 billion euros) in compensation to indigenous children and their families who were discriminated against by the country’s child welfare system.
The measure of the Canadian Executive, which was announced last year as a way to put an end to the disputes opened by complaints about the difference in the sums offered by the State to non-indigenous and aboriginal children, has been rejected because it allegedly left out some children and did not guarantee the compensation of 30,000 euros for each child and caregiver, according to the CBC channel.
Specifically, the Canadian Justice has pointed out that indigenous children who, after years of protests, have finally been placed in foster homes or in homes not funded by the government, will be disadvantaged by this allocation, as they are excluded from it.
In addition, he has also highlighted that some parents and grandparents would receive less than €30,000, as some children and caregivers would have initially refused free assistance from public services under a policy known as the ‘Jordan Principle’.
However, the Canadian government has regretted the decision, which it described as «disappointing», as detailed by the Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, in declarations to the aforementioned channel.
«I think it’s disappointing for many First Nations people that the HRCC has not accepted as complete an Indigenous-designed approach led by First Nations,» Hajdu said.
Leaders of the Assembly of First Nations, who negotiated the amount and type of relief with the Executive, were also unhappy with the court’s decision.
«This decision is so devastating (…). I don’t think the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has considered how big an implication this is going to have,» said Manitoba regional chief of the assembly, Cindy Woodhouse, as reported by Global News.
In 2019, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordered the Government of Canada to compensate Indigenous children and families after they had been discriminated against for years in the child welfare system by not adequately funding this program.
