Mr. Speaker, this Sunday, December 10, is International Human Rights Day. It is a day on which the entire international community will both celebrate the human rights achievements made over this past century and acknowledge the human rights that we must address.
I wish to remind Canadians that they do not have to look so far to find issues with human rights, as there is the issue of first nations child welfare. The national Wen: De Report on first nations child welfare has provided Indian and Northern Affairs Canada with an evidence based solution to redress the inequity in child welfare funding.
Despite acknowledging that the current federal funding is inadequate, the government has not implemented the Wen: De Report recommendations.
The report also highlights the jurisdictional and departmental disputes involving the federal and provincial governments that have meant first nations children with disabilities or complex medical needs are denied or face serious delay in services available to other Canadian children.
The tragic story of a first nations child named Jordan who died because he did not receive access to medical services in a timely way was presented at the United Nations in the Jordan's principle, calling for an end to these disputes.