Federal Court approves $23B First Nations child welfare settlement

By Alessia Passafiume THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA- A Federal Court judge has verbally approved a landmark $23-billion settlement that will see Ottawa compensate more than 300,000 First Nations children and their families over chronic underfunding of on-reserve child-welfare services. The settlement comes more than 15 years after the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society jointly launched a human-rights complaint that sparked a years-long legal battle with Ottawa. Cindy Blackstock, the executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, said on X _ formerly Twitter _ that she was thinking of the victims and is looking forward to see “comprehensive supports” for them as the process continues. The 2007 complaint revolved around allegations that Ottawa’s underfunding of on-reserve child welfare services…

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