Reconciliation in First Nations child welfare

September 2017

This factsheet touches upon how the current overrepresentation of First Nations children in out-of-home care is inextricably linked to larger structural factors related to colonization, including the legacy of Residential Schools, family poverty and chronic underfunding of services on reserves. It expresses that Canada is at critical point for reconciliation, particularly with the release of the report and Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the 2016 ruling from the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal on First Nations child welfare and Jordan’s Principle. Reconciliation not only requires public awareness of present day inequities in child welfare but also concrete action and policy changes to address and cease the harm being done to First Nations children and their families.