Application submissions for share of historic $23 billion child welfare discrimination settlement to open March 10

Tuesday, February 11th, 2025 9:26am
A smiling woman in a cheery yellow blouse.
Assembly of First Nation National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak.

Eligible First Nation individuals should “get ready” to apply for their share of a $23 billion federal settlement package acknowledging discriminatory practices in the First Nations child services program and narrow application of Jordan’s Principle.

Assembly of First Nation National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, along with compensation administrator Deloitte, announced yesterday their national “Get Ready” campaign, raising awareness of the March 10 start date for claimant applications in the Removed Child and Removed Child Family settlement classes.

First Nation individuals removed from their homes as children between April 1, 1991 and March 31, 2022 who had been living on reserve or in the Yukon and placed into care funded by Indigenous Services Canada will be able to submit their application forms to the administrator, as will their Caregiving Parents or Caregiving Grandparents.

The Get Ready campaign will:

  • Ensure First Nations claimants know they will not need to pay anyone to help them submit a claim or help them receive a payment.
  • Support a national network of claims helpers to ensure claimants do not have to go through this process alone.
  • Include resources to support claim submissions, health, wellness and fraud reporting.
  • Feature public service announcements in First Nations and other media.

“While no amount of money can make up for the harms done by Canada’s racist child welfare system, March 10 will be a historic turning point to address these past wrongs,” said Woodhouse Nepinak. “The $23 billion compensation settlement is an important recognition of the heroic representative plaintiffs and everyone who took part in the long process of negotiations that brought us to this point.”

Work is also underway to secure federal court approval of a similar process for First Nations in the seven other claim categories, said the national chief.

Nine classes are included in the settlement agreement and each is unique with its own claims process that requires approval by the court. The claims periods for each class will open in phases.

For more information on all classes under the settlement, visit www.fnchildclaims.ca.