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"Canada must act to address the historical wrongs that have been perpetrated against Indigenous people. Furthermore, we must act to stop the continued discrimination that exists." — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
Ottawa (31 Oct. 2016) — The President of the National Union of Public and General Employees has written Prime Minister Trudeau urging his government to support a motion to end discrimination against First Nations children in the delivery of child welfare programs.
In his letter, Larry Brown, points out that the "Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, on January 26, 2016, ruled that First Nations children were indeed being discriminated against. Since the ruling was issued your government has received two compliance orders on the matter."
Motion in Parliament
On November 1, 2016 a motion will be before the Parliament of Canada calling for action to end the discrimination against First Nations children by:
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immediately investing an additional $155 million in new funding for the delivery of child welfare that has been identified as the shortfall this year alone, and establishing a funding plan for future years that will end the systemic shortfalls in First Nations child welfare;
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implementing the full definition of Jordan's Principle as outlined in a resolution passed by the House on December 12, 2007;
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fully complying with all orders made by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and committing to stop fighting Indigenous families in court who are seeking access to services covered by the federal government, and;
- making public all pertinent documents related to the overhaul of child welfare and the implementation of Jordan's Principle.
Action needed now!
Brown sees the issue as "a matter that requires urgent and immediate action. It has been almost a decade since the complaint was first brought forward. The situation has not improved over the course of time. Indeed, it has worsened!"
"Canada must act to address the historical wrongs that have been perpetrated against Indigenous people. Furthermore, we must act to stop the continued discrimination that exists," urged Brown.
More information:
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 370,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE