Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to publicly apologize for the discrimination against Indigenous children and their families caused by federal child welfare policies, CBC News has learned.
Trudeau outlined the government’s plans for an apology in a June 17 letter to Chief Cindy Woodhouse-Nepinak of the Assembly of First Nations.
“The Government of Canada is committed to publicly apologizing for the discriminatory acts and the past and ongoing harm they have caused,” Trudeau said in the letter, obtained by CBC News.
Trudeau said in his letter that he has asked Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu and Justice Minister Arif Villani to lead discussions on the content of an apology.
Hajdu’s office confirmed it is in discussions with Indigenous partners about what an apology might look like and what steps need to be taken before one is made.
“This is an important step on the road to reconciliation,” said Simon Ross, a spokesman for Mr Hajdu.
The apology fulfills one of the government’s promises in a recently concluded $23 billion settlement agreement aimed at paying compensation to Indigenous people harmed by federal policies that encouraged the removal of children.
Through this agreement, more than 300,000 Indigenous children and families will receive tens of thousands of dollars each, as the Canadian government has chronically and deliberately underfunded Indigenous child and family services on reservations and in the Yukon Territory.
Federal lawyers will be working with reconciliation agreement lawyers and other Indigenous partners to seek input on the content, timing and location of an apology.
Woodhouse-Nepanick told CBC News she plans to ask Trudeau for an apology when Parliament returns after the summer recess.
The agreement builds on a 2016 ruling by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, which found that Canada had intentionally and recklessly discriminated against Indigenous children and families by failing to provide them with the same level of child and family services as those available in other countries.
In 2019, a tribunal ordered Canada to pay human rights fines of up to $40,000 for each Indigenous child and their family.
In addition to compensation, Ottawa has pledged an additional $20 billion to reform Indigenous child and family services policy.
“Addressing the harms suffered by Indigenous children and families is at the heart of the agreement and is a meaningful step in the reconciliation process,” Trudeau wrote.
“Canada remains committed to ongoing efforts to implement final reconciliation and provide compensation to Indigenous children and families.”
