Question Period Note: Long-Term Reform of the First Nations Child and Family Services Program

N.A.

• The Government of Canada is committed to reforming the First Nations Child and Family Services Program to improve the lives of First Nations children and families living on-reserve and in the Yukon and address the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal’s 2016 decision and subsequent orders.
• On December 22, 2025, Canada submitted a plan to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to enable First Nations-led regional agreements across the country, supporting solutions designed by and for First Nations to keep children safely connected to their families, cultures, and communities. This plan is supported by funding of $35.5 billion until 2033-2034 with an ongoing $4.4 billion annually.

Starting in January 2024, the Government of Canada and the Parties began intensive negotiations towards an agreement on a reformed FNCFS Program. The Caring Society formally withdrew its participation from the negotiation process in February 2024, following its December 19, 2023, non-compliance motion filed before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) with respect to Canada’s implementation of the CHRT’s Jordan’s Principle orders.
On October 17, 2024, at a Special Chiefs Assembly held in Calgary, the Chiefs rejected the Agreement and instructed the AFN to take a new approach to negotiating a new final agreement.
On February 26, 2025, the Chiefs of Ontario (COO), Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) and Canada signed a $8.5 billion agreement to reform the First Nations Child and Family Services Program in Ontario, alongside the Trilateral Agreement in Respect of Reforming the 1965 Agreement.
COO, NAN and Canada are seeking the CHRT’s approval of the Ontario Final Agreement and are preparing for its implementation if and when it is approved.
On August 20, 2025, the CHRT issued its 2025 CHRT 80 decision in which it has asked for a plan on long-term reform of the FNCFS Program by December 22, 2025.
On December 22, 2025, the Government of Canada submitted a detailed plan to the CHRT to reform the First Nations Child and Family Services Program. This plan, which is supported by funding of $35.5 billion to 2033-2034, and an ongoing commitment of $4.4 billion annually, would enable First Nations-led regional agreements. This plan facilitates solutions designed by and for First Nations to keep children safely connected to their families, cultures, and communities. Canada is ready to engage in discussions with interested regional First Nation entities in early 2026.

If pressed on the Ontario Final Agreement on Long-Term Reform of the First Nations Child and Family Services Program:
• In early 2025, Canada signed a $8.5 billion Final Agreement with the Chiefs of Ontario and Nishnawbe Aski Nation to implement long-term reforms to the First Nations Child and Family Services Program in Ontario.
• This agreement is currently before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal for approval.