Premier hopes federal budget helps close First Nations funding gap
Ottawa has promised to comply with order to fully fund First Nations child welfare services
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley wants Ottawa to address the gaps in services provided to Indigenous people who live on reserve in the province and the rest of the Canada in Tuesday's federal budget.
"We're certainly hoping that we'll see some of the money going forward with respect to supporting reconciliation, supporting the funding differentials that we see on-reserve as well as off-reserve both in terms of child protection and education," Notley said Monday.
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The province is responsible for child protection, except on reserves, where funding comes from the federal government.
Inadequate funding for First Nations child welfare agencies has been highlighted by the province's child and youth advocate.
Cindy Blackstock, executive director of First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, has estimated agencies on reserves receive 22 to 39 per cent less funding than their provincial counterparts.
Last summer, deputy premier Sarah Hoffman said Alberta would make up the shortfall in the absence of action from Ottawa.
"We were pretty aggressive about that issue in the summer, saying this has to happen or else Alberta will just step in and start paying it and then we'll go after the federal government for the money afterwards," Notley said, "because we can't allow for this disparity to continue."
In 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal found Ottawa is discriminating against Indigenous children who live on reserves by allowing difference in services to continue.
Earlier this month, Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott said her department would immediately increase funding for First Nations child welfare. This came after the tribunal issued the government a fourth compliance order.
Philpott said more funding would be coming in Tuesday's budget.
The parliamentary budget office estimated in December 2016 that the difference between funding for on-reserve and provincial schools could reach $665 million in 2016-17.
According to the budget office, the federal government has failed to provide funding to properly account for special challenges faced by reserve schools, which include remote locations and socio-economic issues.