‘Great opportunity now to reset:’ says Cindy Blackstock after chiefs vote against AFN deal on child welfare – APTN News
Oct 18, 2024
One of the key figures in fighting Canada to improve child welfare for First Nations children is ready to get to work after 267 chiefs voted against moving forward with the tri-partite agreement worked out by the Assembly of First Nations, Chiefs of Ontario, Nishnawbe Aski Nation and the federal government.
“The most inspiring thing is that children should know how many people, how many of the leaders, love them enough to come here and spend these days having these difficult conversations and making a very difficult decision,” said Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (Caring Society).
Two days of discussions at the special chiefs assembly in Calgary saw passionate arguments for and against the $47.8 billion deal. Proponents felt it was a good foundation to work from. At the same time, those opposed, who won the day, saw numerous problems, from a lack of transparency in negotiations to possible abandonment by Ottawa after 10 years.
