THE FINAL WORD: After the Residential School Apology: Why All Canadians Should Care about a Racial Equality Case Before the Canadian Human Rights Commission

Abstract

cblackst@fncfcs.com There is no way around it – if you are a First Nations child on reserve in Canada you simply get less government funding for statutory child welfare services than other children even though there are more First Nations children in child welfare care now than at the height of residential school operations. The federal government has failed to fully address the inequalities even after leading experts, including the Auditor General of Canada, have called for action. The Department of Indian Affairs (INAC) has publicly acknowledged that it’s outdated funding formula results in growing numbers of First Nations children being removed from their families and placed in child welfare care. The Auditor General recently found that the federal government’s new child welfare funding approach also fails to ensure equity.