Dear Colleagues, Friends and Supporters:
 
As you know, the NDP has tabled a motion in the House of Commons to support the full and proper implementation of Jordan's Principle and the Tribunal decisions on child welfare. Please take action and express your support and encourage others in your circle to do so as well. The vote is on Tuesday night (November 1st) and we want to make sure as many people as possible are there supporting the kids ensuring that their member of Parliament votes in favour of the motion. 
 
Here is the link to express your support for the motion and please feel free to share the link in your networks: www.ndp.ca/first-nations-children​
 
The Liberals also announced a new consultation strategy today with the appointment of Cynthia Wesley-Esquimault and we have also heard INAC is willing to offer agencies funds to send agency data into INAC. These two initiatives were done without consultation with the Caring Society and to our knowledge without consultation with the AFN either. The Caring Society is standing by the consultation process of the National Advisory Committee/Regional Tables with links to each First Nations community and agency. INAC is currently not willing to provide NAC with the information it will need to do the work insisting that NAC only have access to publicly available information. They are also suggesting that there be only three FN reps on NAC versus the practice we are proposing (and has been used in the previous two reviews successfully) of one per region.
 
We need to ensure: 1) Compliance with the orders 2) full implementation of Jordan's Principle across all public services and all children without any delays related to the child's First Nations status and 3) INAC engages with First Nations and CFS agencies as well as the parties to the CHRT to ensure NAC is established and has the resources and support it needs to be successful and in the full spirit of UNDRIP.  
 
You can watch the vote on CPAC on Tuesday!​
 

 In this Ottawa Citizen editorial, Cindy Blackstock writes about the new government's lack of immediate action to help First Nations kids.  

Watch the trailer for Alanis Obomsawin's new film about the case on First Nations child welfare, We Can't Make the Same Mistake Twice. 

The film will be shown at the Calgary International Film Festival, Atlantic Film Festival and TIFF.

In an unexpected announcement on July 5, Health Minister Jane Philpott and Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett committed up to $382 million to address the disparity in health services for First Nations children living on reserve. Read more on CBC News.

During February and March of 2016, the Ontario First Nations Young Peoples Council of the Chiefs of Ontario conducted a survey in support of the Inquest into the deaths of seven youths in Thunder Bay. The goal of the survey was to learn from the personal experiences of First Nations youth, especially youth that have had to go to school off reserve. More than 100 young people completed the survey. Read what they had to say: Thunder Bay Inquest: Youth Voices Survey.

First Nations students get 30 per cent less funding than other children, says former chief economist with TD Bank. Don Drummond counters Indigenous Affairs' claim that funding gap cannot be measured. Read the article on CBC News. 

On Wednesday, February 10, more than 600 children and young people from across the National Capital Region and beyond gathered on Parliament to celebrate love and fairness for First Nations children.

The students read letters, and shared songs and poems calling on the Prime Minister and all Canadians to have a heart for First Nations kids and give them the childhood they deserve.

Listen to their messages in this audio clip recorded and produced by journalist Michelle Bartleman. 

In a landmark ruling, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal finds the Canadian government is racially discriminating against 163,000 First Nations children. Read the ruling, information sheets that describe the case and its implications, and the press release here. 

Tribunal decision update on the occasion of the tragic passing of Tribunal member Bélanger. 

In memory of Tribunal Member Bélanger. We are forever grateful to you for your service.