Question Period Note: Nunavut Children placed in care outside of the Territory

• ISC is responsible for the First Nations Child and Family Services
Program, which serves First Nations residing on a reserve or in the
Yukon. All children and families in Nunavut receive child and family
services from the territorial government through the Department of
Family Services.
• An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and
families provides the framework under which Indigenous groups
can re-assume jurisdiction and develop their own laws to meet the
needs of their communities.
• Our government is confident that through our continued
collaboration with Inuit and Inuit land claim organizations, as well
as provinces and territories, we can help achieve a bright future for
Inuit children within Inuit Nunangat and outside of these
homelands.

According to a CBC report, hundreds of children taken into care by the Nunavut
Department of Family Services are placed in care in southern Canada since the
creation of the territory in 1999.
An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families (the Act)
came into force on January 1, 2020. It provides a framework for the exercise of
jurisdiction by Indigenous groups, communities and peoples, and also sets out
principles applicable on a national level in the interpretation and administration of the
Act, as well as minimum standards that apply in the delivery of child and family services
to Indigenous children.
Canada continues to collaborate with provinces and territories on the implementation of
the Act, as well as Indigenous governing bodies and National Indigenous Organizations
such as Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.
Canada has one coordination agreement discussion table with an Inuit Indigenous
governing body in relation to the exercise of jurisdiction over child and family services—
the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. However, there are not currently coordination
agreement discussion tables that pertain to Nunavut.
On an unrelated matter, but also pertaining to child and family services delivered to
Indigenous children, lawyers representing Indigenous children and families in Quebec
were in court in Montreal on September 25, requesting to launch a class-action lawsuit
against the government. They say Inuit children in Nunavik and First Nations children
living off-reserve suffered because of inadequate youth protection services. They say
the province and the federal government did not provide the same services to them as
other Canadians received. A decision by the judge on whether or not to authorize the
lawsuit could take months.

If pressed on the class action in Quebec surrounding Inuit
children in Nunavik and First Nations children living off-reserve
who suffered because of inadequate youth protection services
• This claim involves Inuit children in Nunavik and First Nations
children living off-reserve, to whom services are delivered by the
province.
• ISC is responsible for the First Nations Child and Family Services
Program, which serves First Nations residing on a reserve or in the
Yukon.