Chiefs in Ontario vote in favour of federal child welfare reform deal

OTTAWA — First Nations chiefs in Ontario voted overwhelmingly Wednesday in favour of a child welfare reform deal with the federal government.

The Ontario-specific deal to allow First Nations to take control of child welfare was supported by 76 chiefs in assembly, with four objections and three abstentions.

Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict said the decision will allow First Nations to end discrimination in their communities and offer better support to families.

“We can’t wait for a national agreement. It’s too important in our communities,” he told the chiefs gathered in Toronto.

“Yes, there’s a lot of work to do, but I believe today is a very momentous moment. Not only are we stopping discrimination in our communities — in your communities — we’re advancing your jurisdiction to create more tools to advance your nation.”

Benedict said he will keep chiefs briefed on developments over the next few months as the deal moves toward federal government and Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) approval.

“We will not always get to 100 per cent consensus, but we’re building upon the important work that we’re doing,” he said.

“This is not about the Ontario regional chief, this is not about the Chiefs of Ontario. This is about each and every one of you as leaders and representatives of your communities … Miigwech and congratulations to each and every one of you.”

A national $47.8 billion deal proposed by the federal government to reform the First Nations child welfare system was voted down on two occasions last year, when chiefs across the country said it didn’t go far enough on eliminating discrimination.

That deal was the result of a CHRT ruling that found the federal government was discriminating against First Nations children living on-reserve because they received less in child welfare funding than those who lived off-reserve.

The CHRT ordered Ottawa to work with First Nations across the country to reform the system.

The $47.8 billion national agreement was to cover 10 years of funding for First Nations, allowing them to take control of child welfare services from the federal government, create a body to deal with complaints and set aside money for prevention.

Chiefs in Ontario voted in favour of the package last year. They gathered in Toronto Wednesday to decide how to move forward with an Ontario-specific deal they negotiated with Ottawa that was largely in line with the terms of the national deal.

The side-deal with Ontario has been criticized for months by First Nations outside the province. The federal government told the Assembly of First Nations earlier this year it was not prepared to renegotiate reforms on a national level.

The chiefs may have little time to finalize the deal before the next federal election, which could come in early spring.

Benedict said last month he was confident an agreement could be finalized before the election because the reforms only need cabinet approval, not a vote in the House of Commons.

In a signing ceremony that followed the vote Wednesday afternoon, Benedict was joined by Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler and Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu.

Fiddler spoke of his own family’s experience with the child welfare system. His daughter entered the system as a baby.

“There are so many kids out there that are like that,” he said. “This agreement, and the work that we did to get here, is for our kids.”

Hajdu said the work is deeply personal because each person in the room was affected by a colonial structure that used the child welfare system to divide families and destroy cultures.

“I never dreamt that I would be able to do something like this with these two incredible leaders,” Hajdu said, who noted she was given permission by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to negotiate with Ontario.

“We’re here because of the leadership from all of you. Because sometimes after a crushing blow — and you know this from a personal place and from a leadership place — it’s pretty easy to just sort of say, ‘Well, that’s the way it is, I guess.’ That isn’t what happened. You all decided to keep fighting.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2025.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press