Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to speak about an issue that has been years in the making, and it's still happening now. So Mr. Speaker, the issue I am referring to is the final settlement agreement related to compensation for those harmed by discriminatory underfunding of First Nations child and family services.
On January 4th, 2022, the government announced that an agreement-in-principle in the sum of $20 billion in compensation for First Nations children would be provided to children who were removed from their homes between April 1st, 1991, and March 31st, 2022, as well as for their parents and caregivers. The agreement also includes compensation for those impacted by the federal government's narrow definition of Jordan's Principle, as well as for children who did not receive or were delayed receiving an essential public service or product.
Mr. Speaker, the parties to this case, which includes the Assembly of First Nations and other plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit, reached a final settlement agreement on compensation in April 2023. However, the issue at hand here, Mr. Speaker, is the fact that the NWT and Nunavut were excluded from this compensation agreement. The federal government says the reason for this is because funding for child and family services in the NWT and Nunavut is provided by the federal Department of Finance through transfer payments with both territorial governments, which make up part of our annual budget, therefore both NWT and Nunavut governments decide how and where to spend those funds within the general revenue. But Yukon was eligible, so this makes no sense as we have the same status.
Well, Mr. Speaker, the problem with this situation lies with the fact that the NWT was excluded from this agreement entirely. In my view, it does not, whether it is the GNWT or the federal government who used public funds to carry out the child welfare system over the last 30 plus years. Mr. Speaker, can I have unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that Indigenous children within the NWT also endured pain, trauma, and hardship within the child welfare system alongside other children in other provinces and territories in this country. The parents, the grandparents, also endured this pain as well. So there is no good reason why the NWT is excluded from that final settlement. I will have questions for the Premier. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
