The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is postponing a meeting planned for September in Winnipeg on the proposed $47-billion child welfare deal.
“While many Chiefs have told me they are eager to support the draft agreement next month, the AFN Executive Committee has agreed to provide more time for other Chiefs to review the draft agreement,” said Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak in a statement released Tuesday.
“As such, we are postponing the Special Chiefs Assembly, originally scheduled for September 2024, to the latter half of October or early November.”
Canada and the AFN reached agreement on July 11 to reform the First Nations child welfare system on reserve. The settlement was reached after more than a decade of fighting at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and two proposed class-action lawsuits.
The July deal was distributed in English but a French-language version wasn’t released until Aug. 12.
The grand chief of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council told The Canadian Press she’s optimistic chiefs will get more time to review the landmark deal before voting, after a delay in translating the document into French.
“All of our communities need to be given a fair chance to make a detailed analysis of the final agreement, and that takes time,” said Savanna McGregor.
“The subject matter at hand is too delicate.”
The AFN said the extra time is needed to give chiefs from across the country more time to review the proposal.
“This will also provide us with an opportunity to provide a breakdown of how the $47.8 billion will be allocated to First Nations across this country and to invite Provincial Premiers and their Ministers to be part of this discussion, as it is clear from your feedback that their presence is essential,” said the statement.
According to Ghislain Picard, AFN regional chief for Quebec and Labrador, “The obligation sits with the federal government.”
“There’s an Official Languages Act that needs to be respected,” he said.
In a statement, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) spokesperson Anispiragas Piragasanathar said documents published by Canada about this agreement were in both official languages, but the final agreement was published by the AFN.
“In the spirit of reconciliation, Canada should not and will not be telling First Nations organizations how to engage their own members,” he said. “We will respect their self-determined process.”
Despite ISC saying the process is in the hands of the AFN, McGregor said chiefs from Quebec and Labrador had an emergency meeting with ISC Services Minister Patty Hajdu and AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak on Saturday.
The chiefs pushed to delay the vote until October.
“We’re just waiting to see,” said McGregor. “Because it’s just not fair at the end of the day.”
With files from the Canadian Press.
