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New cash for on-reserve child welfare may loom

By: Mia Rabson

Posted: 03/5/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

OTTAWA -- Manitoba's long wait to get more money out of Ottawa for child welfare programs on the province's First Nations might soon be over.

In a budget focused almost entirely on capping spending to get rid of the deficit, $53 million was set aside to increase federal transfers to provinces to pay for child welfare.

Last year, the government set aside $20 million for the initiative, which has Ottawa signing agreements with the provinces to amend child welfare delivery. The new focus is on preventing kids from being taken from their families by intervening with help before families hit a crisis point.

Five provinces -- Alberta, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Prince Edward Island -- already have deals.

Manitoba has been trying for several years to hammer out a deal to get Ottawa to spend the same money per child on child welfare on reserves as the province does for off-reserve kids.

The discrepancy in the formula has been routinely slammed by judges in inquests, the federal auditor general and aboriginal leaders.

In early 2009, Manitoba thought it was close to a deal to reform the 20-year-old funding formula with a pact that would see $22 million more coming to Manitoba's child welfare system. It would have hired another 200 social workers on reserves to help focus on abuse prevention.

Family Services Minister Gord Mackintosh was livid when midway through the year it became clear the province was not one of those selected for funding.

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Minister Chuck Strahl's office will not divulge which provinces will benefit from this year's cash but Mackintosh has already put a call in to Strahl to find out what the situation is, his spokesman said Thursday.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo said he was pleased overall with the budget, even though new funding for aboriginals was limited.

In particular, Atleo was pleased by the mention of plans for legislation to improve education for First Nations students from kindergarten to post-secondary schools.

"It feels to me like we are being listened to," said Atleo, noting he had asked the government to discuss ways to get 65,000 aboriginal students into university or college within five years.

Ron Evans, grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said he was pleased with measures to bring healthy food to people in remote areas and the $10 million devoted to addressing the high number of missing and aboriginal women. "Clearly we have not been overlooked. There is funding in there for First Nations," he said.

The budget also renewed a number of aboriginal programs, including $285 over two years for five aboriginal health programs and $331 million over two years for water and infrastructure projects on reserves. There was also $285 million in the second year of the economic stimulus package for First Nations schools, water systems, policing and health.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 5, 2010 A6

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