I am a Witness: Tribunal Timeline & Documents
The timeline below chronicles the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal case on inequitable funding for First Nations child welfare, which the Tribunal ruled amounts to discrimination.
View the pre-Tribunal timeline for a history of First Nations child and family services funding leading up the case.
2023
The Parties (the AFN, the Caring Society, and Canada) filed a joint notice of motion affirming that the revised Final Settlement Agreement on compensation fully satisfies the Tribunal's orders on compensation. The submission also contains four affidavits supporting the joint motion.
Canada's response to the Parties' May 10 and 24 correspondence to the Panel.
The Parties made the following submissions: the Caring Society submitted a response to Canada's May 10 letter submissions to the Tribunal. This submission also supplants the Caring Society's May 10 submissions in response to the Tribunal's March 2023 questions. AFN submitted a response to the Tribunal's March 2023 questions. NAN's submitted a response to the Caring Society, Canada, and COO's May 10 submissions. Canada submitted the Jordan's Principle data deep dive for FY 2021-22, the Back-to-Basics guiding document, and the Jordan's Principle payment timelines guiding document. The Caring Society also submitted the information sheet on ISC's Back-to-Basics Approach to Jordan's Principle
On March 16, 2023, in its correspondence to the Parties, the Tribunal requested a detailed report on the implementation of certain orders. The Caring Society wrote to the Tribunal requesting the opportunity to respond to the May 10 update provided by Canada, and provided brief responses to the Panel's questions about long-term reform implementation.
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (Caring Society) announce a revised Final Settlement Agreement (FSA) on compensation valued at over $23 Billion for the approximately 300,000 First Nations children, youth and families who experienced discrimination due to Canada’s flawed approaches to First Nations Child and Family Services (FNCFS) and Jordan’s Principle.
Federal Court order extending the opt-out period for class members by 180 days to August 23, 2023.
2022
The Caring Society's briefing as intervener in Manitoba v. MHRC & MHRC v. Manitoba regarding Jordan's Principle.
The Tribunal has released the full reasons for its decision on compensation. In October, the Tribunal issued a letter decision confirming that the Final Settlement Agreement on compensation signed by Canada, the AFN, and other class action parties does not fully satisfy its orders. The Tribunal noted that the FSA completely disentitles some victims who are already legally entitled to $40,000 in compensation, reduces the amounts for others, or makes their entitlements uncertain.
This release sets out the Tribunal’s full reasons for that decision.
Two motions passed at the December 2022 AFN Special Chiefs Assembly: the first addresses long-term reform of the FNCFS Program and Jordan's Principle, and the second addresses the Final Settlement Agreement on compensation.
The Federal Court issued an order referring the Assembly of First Nations' application for judicial review for case management.