Base funding for federal support of First Nations Child and Family Services is based on a formula set in 1989. In 2007, after years of recommendations, the Enhanced Prevention Focused Approach (EPFA) began to be rolled out region by region. This funding would help prevent children from entering care in the first place. After years of promises, the Federal Government has yet to release EPFA federal funding to BC First Nations (one of the only Provinces in Canada that has yet to receive the funding). What are you and your party committed to do to ensure that EPFA dollars flow to B.C.?
Peter Schwarzhoff: It is unconscionable that the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society had to turn to the Canadian Human Rights Commission to seek justice and equality of child and family services on reserve. A Liberal government will immediately remove the 2 per cent funding cap on First Nations programs and will ensure that all First Nations receive equitable funding for child and family services on reserves. When it comes to deciding where investments should be made, we will look to First Nations’ communities and leadership for guidance. First Nations communities know best what will work for them and a Liberal government will be a willing partner to implement First Nations led approaches to the challenges they face. We are open to extending the Enhanced Prevention Focused Approach for child welfare funding to British Columbia, if that is the approach BC First Nations themselves decide would best meet their needs.
Liberals also know that, if we are to truly deal with the over representation of Indigenous children in care, we must also address the root causes - including high levels of poverty and a disproportionate lack of educational and economic opportunities for Indigenous people in Canada. The Harper government has slashed federal resources for First Nations communities and over $1 billion of government funding intended for Indigenous Peoples has been allowed to lapse since 2009. In contrast, a Liberal government will invest an additional $2.6 billion in core First Nations education over the next four years, and establish a new broader fiscal relationship with the Crown that provides First Nations communities with sufficient, predictable, and sustained funding, which reflects the actual costs of program delivery. A Liberal government will immediately re-engage with First Nations in a renewed, respectful and inclusive Nation-to-Nation process to advance progress on priorities identified by First Nations, including housing, infrastructure, health and mental health care, community safety and policing, child welfare, and education. We will make sure the Kelowna Accord – and the spirit of reconciliation that drove it – is embraced, and that its objectives are met in line with today’s challenges.
