What first nation leaders tell me is that the way we are going about this—creating specific legislation, like the child welfare legislation, which restores the inherent rights of indigenous people to care for their own children and families—is the right way to do this. It allows for a controlled dismantling of the Indian Act that puts control back in first nations in a timeline that makes sense to them. It provides certainty around funding models, and it provides the supports that first nations say they need in order to do a thorough consultation and design of those systems for their communities.
On June 6th, 2024. See this statement in context.