The health and well-being of Indigenous children is a top priority for this Government.

Today’s partnership between Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) and the Government of Canada will help ensure that funding for First Nation child and family services in Northern Ontario reflects the unique circumstances and needs of these communities.

The joint development of a Remoteness Quotient Table and child-centered approach is another step in our commitment to comprehensive child welfare reform.

The guiding principles at the foundation of the partnership between NAN and Canada include:

  • The importance of collaboration and transparency to ensure open and informed lines of communication
  • The primacy of the best interests of the child
  • The need for an equitable and evidence-based child welfare funding model that is responsive to geographic remoteness, community needs and infrastructure, and cultural traditions
  • The need for a sound empirical basis for funding calculations

This First-Nation led solution will be instrumental in ensuring that every child receives access to the same services regardless of where they live. Together, we can help foster healthy and proud indigenous families and communities.

Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus (NDP) is calling it a great first step towards fixing the “brutal underfunding” of services for First Nations children.

Filed under: Local News