The last thing Canadians likely wanted to know about their government is that it discriminates, but that’s sadly the case.
On Tuesday, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled that the federal government has not provided the same level of welfare services funding to children on reserves as it does to children off of reserves.
The tribunal insists that Ottawa must, “cease the discriminatory practice and take measures to redress and prevent it.”
According to a CBC report, the on-reserve child welfare system receives up to 38 per cent less funding than in other parts of the country.
Now it would be easy to point the finger at the recently-ousted Conservative government, but the reality is that this situation has been allowed to fester for decades irrespective of who holds power.
Given the tribunal’s harsh words, the onus is on the new Liberal government to take immediate action.
“The tribunal’s ruling is a vindication of our struggle to have recognition of our law and to secure sufficient funding from Canada to deliver programs and support to all our Splatsin children,” said Wayne Christian, chief of the Splatsin First Nation.
The same message is also coming from the Okanagan people.
“The answer is not to shuffle money around, but to invest an equitable amount of resources and create First Nations informed ways of caring for the well-being of our children,” said Chief Byron Louis.
But unlike the traditional paternalistic practices of government to just set policy unilaterally, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ministers need to openly engage First Nations leaders and communities to determine where resources should be spent in an effective manner.
But the bottom line is that treating some communities different than others must come to an end.
