Under fire, Liberals decide to support motion on First Nations child welfare
OTTAWA — The federal Liberals will vote to support an NDP motion Tuesday that calls for an immediate $155-million cash injection for First Nations child welfare services, says Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett.
The decision — governments don’t typically support opposition motions — followed political pressure brought to bear on the government by Sen. Murray Sinclair, the former chairman of the Truth and Reconcilation Commission.
“We are all on the same page in terms of, we want the kinds of changes that really will be the real reform,” Bennett said Monday outside the House of Commons.
In written comments obtained by The Canadian Press, Sinclair called it impossible to overstate the importance of the federal government complying with an order from the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to properly fund child welfare services on reserve.