Cindy Blackstock at the Assembly of First Nations annual general assembly in Montreal. Photo: Kerry Slack/APTN News
Cindy Blackstock was notably absent from the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) announcement Thursday confirming a $47.8 billion child welfare deal Thursday.
Blackstock, a member of the Gitxsan First Nation in B.C. and executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, is the First Nations children’s advocate who started the battle for federal compensation in 2007.
“I didn’t know about the press conference (Thursday),” Blackstock told APTN News Friday. “I don’t know why; that would be a question for the AFN.”
Blackstock was in attendance at the AFN’s annual general assembly in Montreal.
“It’s kind of disappointing they didn’t recognize us,” she added in an interview.
Read the proposed multi-billion-dollar settlement here
The AFN, which publicly confirmed the $47.8 billion settlement offer from Ottawa with Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu in the room, did not return a call and email seeking comment about Blackstock’s absence.
National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said the compensation will benefit thousands of children.
Ottawa agreed to settle after the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled in 2016 that it engaged in “wilful and reckless discrimination” against First Nations children and families on reserve and the Yukon.
Along with compensation, $20 billion will go towards reforming First Nations child and family services.
Noticed on X
Blackstock’s absence was noticed by people on X (formerly Twitter).
“Why wasn’t Cindy invited to this announcement?” tweeted Melissa Mbarki, who is Niya Nehiyaw and an analyst in the energy sector.
“This is her work, not the federal governments or AFN’s.”
Métis artist Christi Belcourt, a keen observer of Indigenous politics, also questioned the absence.
“Everyone owes Cindy Blackstock a huge debt of gratitude for her decade long struggle for First Nations children,” Belcourt posted. “She is a national hero.
“This deal would not even be happening without her.”
Blackstock, also posting on X, said Thursday morning she had not seen the agreement, nor had many chiefs and their service providers.
“We have to do this for the kids,” she told APTN. “That’s what I signed up for and that’s what I’m privileged to do.”
Woodhouse Nepinak said she is confident the agreement would lead to improved supports for First Nations children and their families.
“We’re trying to change our broken system, moving toward prevention rather than apprehension,” she told the news conference.
APTN asked Woodhouse Nepinak about Blackstocks’s absence at an unrelated news conference Tuesday.
“Ms. Blackstock left the negotiation table a while ago. I talked to her about it last week,” said Woodhouse Nepinak.
“She said she had some things she wanted changed.”
The AFN says it welcomes Blackstock back to the negotiating table at an time.
“We told her we want her to come back to the negotiation table. I hope that she comes back,” said Woodhouse Nepinak.
“The AFN always wants to welcome everybody at the table, but we can’t force people to be at the table,” the national chief said. “We commend people like Phil Fontaine, like Cindy Blackstock, for all of these people that worked really hard all of these years.
“It’s been a team effort over many years to get to this point and here we are.”
-Editor’s note: This story was updated 18/7/24 for additional comments from the AFN
