Trudeau urged to apologize for wrongs done to Indigenous children under welfare system

TRENTON, Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should apologize to Indigenous children harmed under Canada’s welfare system once a CAN$23.4 billion (US$17.4) gets final approval, two Cabinet ministers said Thursday.

"We'll be bringing that request forward to the prime minister," Indigenous Service Minister Patty Hajdu said. "I know that will be something he considers."

Hajdu joined with Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller in calling for the apology once the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and the Federal Court approve the settlement.

It will compensate about 300,000 First Nations people – the largest number in Canadian history and also one of the world’s largest.

The money is to compensate for the historic wrongs done under the chronically-underfunded government welfare system that separated First Nations children from families and from their culture.

The settlement – raised to $23.4 billion from $20 billion to ensure all the children were included – has been approved by the federal government and the Assembly of First Nations and now has to get the final green light from the tribunal and the court. It took more than 15 years to hammer out the package after the First Nations launched a human rights appeal.

"I wish it had gone faster," Miller said. "But, I think, the way in which this was done really is a turning point in the way we do business."

Assembly of First Nations Manitoba Regional Chief Cindy Woodhouse said the settlement sends the right message to the wronged children.

"It's a signal to these kids that the wrong has been done to them," Woodhouse said. "I'm glad that we settled this in an amicable way rather than in a courtroom."

Once approved by the tribunal and the court in late spring or early summer, the applications for compensation will begin, Woodhouse said. Each person will get at least CAN$40,000 (US$30,000).