OTTAWA- The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the federal Indigenous child welfare act is constitutional, affirming that First Nations, Metis and Inuit have sole authority over the protection of their children. The unanimous decision is a setback for the Quebec government, which had made gains in 2022 when its Court of Appeal found that parts of the act overstepped federal jurisdiction. On Friday, Canada’s highest court upheld the entirety of Ottawa’s 2019 Act Respecting First Nations, Metis and Inuit Children Youth and Families, which affirmed that Indigenous Peoples have an inherent right of self-government that includes control over child and family services. “The act as a whole is constitutionally valid,” the court wrote in its 110-page decision, adding that it “falls squarely within Parliament’s legislative jurisdiction.” Ottawa’s law affirmed…
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