“This is For Our Children”: NAN Leaders Celebrate Approval of Ontario Final Agreement

TORONTO, ON: Joined by Chiefs, Elders, women and youth, Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Executive Council members Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler and Deputy Grand Chiefs Bobby Narcisse, Anna Betty Achneepineskum and Mike Metatawabin, have issued the following statement as the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has released its summary ruling approving the Final Agreement on Long Term Reform of the First Nations Child and Family Services (FNCFS) Program in Ontario (the Ontario Final Agreement, or OFA):

“Today is a great day for our children, and for our people. This work has always been about the inherent right of our First Nations to care for their children, and to make decisions about their wellbeing. This work has always been about improving the lives of our future generations. We are grateful to be able to celebrate this day with our leaders, our Elders, and our youth.

This decision respects the authority of our leadership. It upholds First Nations right to self-determination by empowering communities to shape their own child and family services. The Tribunal has accepted that First Nations are best placed to design and deliver child and family services and endorsed a path forward grounded in self-determination as opposed to continued federal control. It has recognized that the remoteness quotient work is ground-breaking, acknowledging the realities our communities have been living with. The approval of the OFA represents a major step towards shifting the status quo, and keeping our children at home, surrounded by their families, their communities and their culture.

This represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restructure the delivery of services and care, end a discriminatory funding model, and begin a new era that recognizes our inherent jurisdiction, self-determination, and right to equitable services.

This decision is an important milestone in a long and difficult legal journey, but it is not an end to the work we have done fighting for our children. This is the beginning of a new chapter, one grounded in hope, and a shared commitment to ensure First Nations children, youth, and families receive funding based on real needs.

We are grateful for the encouragement and support we have received from the citizens across NAN territory. We congratulate our Chiefs, communities, legal team, and everyone who has worked so hard to get us to where we are today.

We have said for years that we cannot keep waiting for change, we need to make change happen. We have done that today.  Our leadership have accomplished that today. And with this change, comes great responsibility. When we say ‘This is for our children’ it is not a slogan. It is a responsibility.”

The Tribunal’s decision confirms that the OFA fulfills its previous orders to end systemic racial discrimination in First Nations Child and Family Services in Ontario. It affirms the inherent right of First Nations to care for their own children and to design services grounded in their laws, traditions, and priorities. 

The approved agreement establishes a comprehensive framework for long-term reform, including safeguards to ensure accountability, continuous improvement, and sustainability of services beyond the life of the agreement. The Tribunal also reinforced that its original orders, including the requirement for Canada to cease discriminatory practices, remain in full force during and after the agreement. These orders are final, binding, and enforceable, ensuring that reforms are durable, and that systemic discrimination is permanently eliminated.

Note to Media: The decision released today is a summary ruling only. The CHRT has stated that full reasons will be released later, but no timing has been provided.

For more information please contact:
Michael Heintzman,
Director of Communications
Cell: (807) 621-2790
mheintzman@nan.ca