Singh and Idlout urge prime minister Trudeau to end discrimination against First Nation children

OTTAWA – On Tuesday, Canada’s NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and NDP Indigenous Services critic Lori Idlout (Nunavut) wrote to the prime minister urging his government to end the discrimination against First Nations children and co-develop a process with the National Children's Chiefs Commission (NCC) for future negotiations on First Nations child welfare and Jordan’s Principle.
The call comes after the Liberal government was found to be violating First Nations kids’ human rights by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and failing to properly consult and cooperate.
“The Liberals have let First Nations families downtime and time again,” said Singh. “First Nations kids deserve better. They deserve a government that will uphold their obligations instead of fighting against Indigenous children in court. Every Child Matters can’t just be words – it needs to become real action."
For years, New Democrats have been urging the Liberal government to stop dragging First Nations kids and families to court in order to dodge their responsibilities as a government, and to quickly address the Jordan’s Principle backlog.
“The Liberals keep showing that First Nations are not their priority,” added Idlout. “They have failed them at every turn, and spend money in court trying to deny them their rights instead of working with the communities to help them thrive. I’m urging the prime minister to take action now. First Nations kids’ lives matter and we must do everything in our power to end this senseless discrimination that should have no place in this country."