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Anchor: Antonia Gonzales
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal says that a $40 billion welfare settlement to compensate Native children and families does not satisfy all the requirements of the tribunal’s orders.
Dan Karpenchuk reports.
The tribunal is urging the parties involved in the agreement to continue negotiating despite its decision.
Ottawa was ordered by the tribunal three years ago, to compensate First Nations children and families after it had ruled they had been discriminated against for years because child welfare services on reserve were not properly funded.
The initial deal announced at the beginning of the year would have awarded $40,000 to each child and their families that suffered. But the tribunal is now worried about the timeline for people to opt out and whether all children will get the full amount.
Cindy Blackstock is the executive director of the First Nations Child and Caring Society of Canada.
“It also turned out that some children would see their amount from $40,000 turn to nothing, and those are children who were removed during a child welfare investigation on reserve because their families were denied prevention services, but they may have stayed with friends, family, whatever. Our message to Canada and to the class action lawyers was make sure you don’t leave these people behind.”
Blackstock says it’s not just a handful of children that are affected, but it could be in the tens of thousands.
The Assembly of First Nations says the tribunal’s decision is devastating. The government has also expressed disappointment in the tribunal’s decision.
The original agreement set aside $20 billion for individual compensation and $20 billion for long term reform of the on-reserve child welfare system.
The Alaska Federation of Natives, the largest statewide Native organization in Alaska, has endorsed Rep. Mary Peltola (Yup’ik/D-AK) for Congress.
Rep. Peltola made history in September becoming the first Alaska Native person to ever serve in Congress.
She spoke before the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Convention last week in Anchorage.
The Democrat talked about unity, and expressed her gratitude to the late Rep. Don Young (R-AK), whose seat she won in a special election.
In an exclusive interview with National Native News, KNBA, and KYUK, Rep. Peltola commented on serving Alaska Native and American Indian people, saying as a member of Congress it’s her job to uphold trust and treaty responsibilities.
“So often what I’ve seen is this relationship where an agreement is made and then a generation goes by and that institutional knowledge is forgotten of all of the concessions that were made to get to this treaty. Then the next generation wants more concessions, and then the next generation more concessions from Alaska Natives and Native Americans. I just think it’s really important that as we’re being approached with more concessions we all remember collectively this institutional knowledge of the compromises that were made to to get to that initial place.”
Rep. Peltola is running in the general election to keep her seat.
In a press release Wednesday, the AFN stated the Alaska Native community is determined to help elect representatives and partners to achieve further self-determination and legal empowerment as sovereign, self-governing Indigenous peoples.
The AFN has also endorsed U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
The Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Conference underway in California honored guardians of culture and lifeways on Wednesday.
The Tribal Leader award was given to Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Miniconjou Lakota from the Cheyenne River reservation in South Dakota.
He is the 19th generation keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe, which he took on the responsibility at the age of 12.
He founded the World Peace and Prayer Day along with the Bigfoot Riders, which memorializes the massacre of Big Foot’s band at wounded knee.
He has opened many sessions at the United Nations.
In his speech, he called for peace and that everyone is a messenger to protect Mother Earth.
“What man has brought before us, all disasters you see, the prophecy of White Buffalo Calf Woman, return to your sacred sites, respect mother earth, in this way all nations will celebrate. I read the statement, we warned one day you will not be able to control what you have created, as I speak with you today, and you go home to your sacred sites, your homelands, remember that you are messengers. Remember the life creator gave us and the responsibilities. So, I speak to you in a humble and peaceful way in peace and harmony. “
The award takes its name from the sculpture that is on top of the Oklahoma State Capital by Seminole Chief Kelly Haney, whose message to the recipients and attendees is “Dream big, work hard, believe deeply. For this is just the beginning. Let us all rise to our potential.”
More than 1,000 people are attending the conference in Temecula, which wraps up on Thursday.
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