Justice Sector

The Justice Sector at Chiefs of Ontario is dedicated to supporting and advocating for First Nations justice systems and self-governance in Ontario. The Justice Sector’s responsibilities are to coordinate the technical and political positions of First Nations Leadership on justice issues affecting First Nations in Ontario. The current leading justice priorities include First Nations policing, revitalization of traditional justice, jurisdictional issues and treaty rights, consultation and accommodation, and the protection of heritage and burial sites.

Historically, First Nations have been victimized by the Canadian justice system. Such victimization has been perpetuated through systemic issues such as racial profiling by enforcement agencies, over-representation of First Nations peoples in correctional facilities, and lack of access to culturally competent support programs. The Justice Department was established to change this narrative by addressing the need for representation and advocacy on issues relating to justice for First Nations in Ontario.

On September 6, 1995, an unarmed man named Anthony “Dudley” George was shot and killed during a nighttime raid by the Ontario Provincial Police. Dudley and other First Nation men, women and children had been occupying their ancestral territory which had been appropriated by the federal government for military purposes. The occupied land was then transferred by the federal government to the provincial government and subsequently used as a provincial park. This transfer was made after the federal government had promised the return of the occupied land to the people of Kettle and Stony Point. A group of people, including Dudley, protested at Ipperwash Provincial Park to draw attention to this decades-old land-rights claim.

After the shooting death of his brother Dudley, Sam George began his quest for justice. For nearly ten years after his brother’s death, Sam George advocated for justice for his brother, which ultimately resulted in a the Ipperwash Inquiry that examined the events that lead to Dudley’s death and recommended steps to ensure this never happens again.

Both Dudley and Sam will forever be remembered as protectors of First Nations ancestral lands and seekers of justice for First Nation Peoples. As such, recommendations from the Ipperwash Inquiry have shaped and influenced the Justice Sector’s initiatives at Chiefs of Ontario.

Several documents have been instrumental in shaping the contemporary state of justice for First Nations in Ontario. Some of these foundational documents include:

A non-exhaustive list of mandates currently guiding Justice initiatives includes:

  • Resolution 12/09: Chiefs Committee on Justice
  • Resolution 22/15: Revitalization of Indigenous Legal Principles, Traditions, and Systems
  • Resolution 54/16: Renewing Heritage and Burials Relationships
  • Resolution 42/17: Establishing a Working Group on UNDRIP
  • Resolution 52/18: Prosecution of Bylaws and Other First Nation Laws
  • Resolution 13/19: Rejection Of the Process Of Co-Developing Policy and Legislation as Employed by the Government Of Canada
  • Resolution 11/20: Ad Hoc Committee on Policing
  • Resolution 26/21: Self-Governance & Justice Transformation for First Nations
  • Resolution 21/36: Anti-Racism Work in Ontario
  • Resolution 21/37: The Tripartite Collaborative Technical Table on the Enforcement and Prosecution of First Nations’ Laws
  • Resolution 21/38: Participation of First Nations in Ontario in the Assembly of First Nations’ Co-Development of Federal Policing Legislation
  • Resolution 21/39: Consent-Based Consultation and Accommodation Standards
  • Resolution 22/11A: Opposition to Governments of Canada and Ontario’s Pan-Indigenous Approach to First Nations Issues and Funding
  • Resolution 22/35S: The Tripartite Collaborative Technical Table on the Enforcement and Prosecution of First Nations’ Laws: Recommendations
  • Resolution 22/36S: Protecting Our Ancestors, Sacred Sites, and Sacred Items
  • Resolution 23/17S: Enforcement of First Nations Laws and By-Laws: Ontario Region Strategy
  • Resolution 24/08A: Holding Canada to its Policing Promises
  • Resolution 14/10A: Support For Continued Operations Of The Office Of The Independent Special Interlocutor On Missing Children And Unmarked Graves And Burial Sites And The Implementation Of Recommendations From The Final Report

In 2023, the Chiefs Committee on Justice tasked the Justice Sector with developing a resource that would assist with onboarding processes related to justice issues and priorities of the Ontario region. The Justice 101 Briefing Package for New Chiefs, Councils, and Technicians is a document aimed at supporting new Chiefs, Councillors, and technicians on the main issues, priorities, and mandates worked on at the regional-level. This resource is a living document and will be updated as work evolves and changes.

Download and view the full package here!

Chiefs and Technicians Committee on Justice

The Chiefs and Technicians Committee on Justice (Justice Committee) supports First Nations in their work to advance justice and jurisdiction by providing technical and political advice to the Regional Chief, Chiefs of Ontario Leadership Council, Chiefs in Assembly, and Justice Sector at COO on all matters related to First Nations justice.

The overarching goal of the Justice Committee is to advocate for the creation and transformation of First Nation justice systems. The Committee aims to provide political support, technical expertise, research, and strategies.

Rights Assertions

Learn more about Rights Assertions, the Chiefs of Ontario’s opposition to governments’ pan-Indigenous approach, and access further reading and resources surrounding First Nations’ Rights.

LEARN MORE

The UNDRIP Act

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act

With the passing of Bill C-15, many First Nations technicians and Leadership have been wondering what the legislation means for them, their communities, their rights, and their interactions with the government. The following information is meant to assist First Nations technicians and Leadership to better understand C-15 and its implications, as well as a way to easily check for updates and events.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007 after decades of advocacy, discussions, and negotiations, which were driven in part by leaders such as Chief Wilton Littlechild and grassroots advocates. At the time of its adoption, Canada was opposed to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and was one of only four States that voted against it. Canada later endorsed the Declaration without qualification and committed to its full and effective implementation in 2016. Since that time, British Columbia became the first jurisdiction to pass UNDRIP legislation.

UNDRIP was created to address major gaps in human rights legislation and affirm the minimum standards for recognition of the collective and individual rights of Indigenous peoples. These rights include, but are not limited to:

  • right to self-determination (articles 3, 4, and 5)
  • right to participate in decision making and to maintain institutions (articles 18, 19, 34, and 40)
  • right to set own priorities and strategies (article 23)
  • right to make decisions over traditional territory (articles 26 and 29)
  • right to free, prior, and informed consent (article 32)
  • right to culture (articles 8, 11, and 25)
  • right to maintain and protect Indigenous knowledge (article 31)
  • right to financial assistance (article 39)

As an international instrument, UNDRIP had legal effect in Canada before the passing of Bill C-15. Canadian courts already used the Declaration as an interpretive tool for understanding Canada’s domestic laws and Constitutional obligations. Additionally, some of the rights enshrined in UNDRIP were already entrenched in Canadian domestic law through other sources. For example, the right of self-determination of all peoples is recognized in Canada through two legally binding human rights treaties – the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Further, some aspects of UNDRIP are also customary law and are therefore already directly applicable in Canadian law.

For further information on UNDRIP:

In December 2020, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-15, An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in the House of Commons. On June 21, 2021, Bill C-15 received Royal Assent and officially became law in Canada.

Bill C-15 is based on the work of Romeo Saganash, a Cree lawyer and former MP who introduced federal UNDRIP legislation in 2016, Bill C-262. Similar to C-15, Bill C-262 was introduced as a step toward implementing the minimum standards affirmed in UNDRIP. In 2018, a majority of the House of Commons expressed their support for the bill; however, in 2019, the bill died in the Senate.

With Bill C-15, the Government of Canada has expanded on Bill C-262. Bill C-15 affirms UNDRIP as a universal international human rights instrument with application in Canadian Law (section 4(a)) and contains three federal commitments that establish a process to make federal laws and policies consistent with UNDRIP:

  1. Bill C-15 requires the Government of Canada to, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples, take all measures necessary to ensure that the laws of Canada are consistent with UNDRIP (section 5).
  2. Bill C-15 requires the Minister to, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples and with other federal ministers, prepare and implement an action plan to achieve the objectives of UNDRIP, address violence and discrimination, and include accountability measures to ensure implementation of UNDRIP (section 6).
  3. The Minister must, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples, prepare an annual report about their progress made on the first two commitments (section 7).

It is equally important to note what Bill C-15 does not do. Bill C-15 does not implement UNDRIP directly into Canadian law. Instead, it affirms that UNDRIP has application in Canadian law and creates a framework for implementation. It is also important to note that Bill C-15 and UNDRIP do not create new rights for First Nations, but instead affirm existing rights.

For further information on Bill C-15 and operationalizing UNDRIP:

The following information captures the parliamentary process through which Bill C-15 travelled to become law in Canada.

On June 21, 2021, Bill C-15, An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was formally passed by the House of Commons and became law in Canada (“UNDRIP Act”).

The Act was created for two purposes: (1) to “affirm” UNDRIP as a universal international human rights instrument which applies to Canadian law and (2) provide a framework for the Government of Canada to implement UNDRIP.

The UNDRIP Act requires the federal government to carry out three duties:

  • prepare and implement an action plan within two years of the legislation coming into force;
  • make all federal laws consistent with UNDRIP;
  • release a progress report annually, detailing the work being undertaken to make laws consistent.

The Action Plan was released on June 21, 2023, and implementation processes is currently underway.

United Nations Declaration Act Progress Update – 1st Edition – JAN2025

Policing and Community Safety

Current policing and community safety initiatives involve monitoring new legislation, policies, and proposed amendments to support First Nations in efforts to keep their communities safe.

Canada introduced the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program (FNIPP) in 1991. This discretionary program provides funding for First Nations policing services through tripartite agreements between First Nations Leadership and federal and provincial governments. Unfortunately, there is a federal moratorium on entry into the FNIPP. In a federally commissioned report released in 2019 by the Council of Canadian Academies, it was detailed that many Indigenous communities lack policing services that meet their safety and security needs. Inequitable policing through the FNIPP was detailed in a 2024 report by the Auditor General of Canada.

To respond to the lack of adequate First Nations policing services, Ontario passed the Community Safety and Policing Act (“CSPA”) in 2019, to replace the Police Services Act. This legislation is unique in that it provides an opportunity for First Nations to opt-into provincial policing standards, accountability mechanisms, and financial mechanisms.

Despite the Ministry of the Solicitor General engaging First Nations for several years on regulations on several matters, including adequate and effective policing, the CSPA was brought into force on April 1, 2024, with the discriminatory provision that explicitly excludes First Nations by-laws from the mandatory list of policing functions. In turn, police services can enforce these laws voluntarily, but they are not guaranteed the resources to do so because only mandatory police functions come with statutory funding protections. This contributes to the overall enforcement gap, which causes First Nations people to experience inferior access to justice and the rule of law in comparison to other Ontarians, and experience inferior access to all the benefits that flow from the rule of law, such as community safety and wellbeing.

As a result of this racist provision as well as other gaps that undermine the enforcement and prosecution of First Nations laws, and in accordance with Resolution 23/17S, Chiefs of Ontario commenced legal action against Canada and Ontario regarding the discriminatory lack of enforcement and prosecution of First Nations laws on May 7, 2024. The Statement of Claim provides additional details.

Federally, Canada committed to developing federal policing legislation with the AFN in 2020. This legislation would make First Nations policing an essential service. Resolution 21/38 mandates the Chiefs-in-Assembly to advocate for AFN’s co-development process with Canada to recognize First Nations rights-holders as equal partners in the legislative development process and Resolution 24/08A provides a detailed mandate on Ontario region priorities to be included in this policing legislation.

In Ontario, First Nations are policed by various models:

  • Self-Administered Police Services are police services governed and administer by one or more First Nations.
  • The Ontario First Nations Policing Agreement (“OFNPA”)is policing administered by the Ontario Provincial Police (“OPP”). However, First Nations have greater control over policing in comparison to direct OPP policing.
  • Stream 2 / Community Tripartite Agreement is a new policing model in Ontario whereby OPP officers police communities pursuant to an agreement with the First Nation. It provides less control over policing in comparison to the OFNPA, but more control than direct OPP policing.
  • Direct OPP Policing is a model by which a First Nation is directly policed by the nearest OPP detachment. This model receives no federal funding and is not under the FNPP. There are approximately 20 First Nations policed under this model.

As mandated by Resolution 11/20, the Chiefs of Ontario provides ongoing coordination support to the First Nations policed under the OFNPA to advance their collective priorities and policing needs with Canada and Ontario. This includes supporting the administration of the OFNPA Mental Health Survey.

Chiefs of Ontario provides support for any emerging policing issues experienced by First Nations, such as abuse of police powers, community safety concerns, and failures to enforce First Nations laws, and facilitates access to solutions for issues through coordination support, advocacy, and political pressure.

First Nations have an inherent right of self-government and self-determination. While these rights can be realized through First Nations law and legal institutions, such efforts are often undermined by the lack of enforcement and prosecution of these laws.

In 2018, SCA Resolution 52-18 mandated the Chiefs of Ontario and Leadership Council to advocate for the reinstatement of prosecution and adjudication of First Nations laws.

For more information about issues around the lack of enforcement and prosecution of First Nations laws, refer to the report “Collaborative Approaches to Enforcement of Laws in Indigenous Communities” which was released by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs in June 2021.

In response to the current and longstanding gaps in services for the enforcement and prosecution of First Nations laws, the Tripartite Collaborative Technical Table on the Enforcement and Prosecution of First Nation Laws was established in May 2021. The first of its kind in Ontario, the Collaborative Table is a tripartite forum in which obstacles to the enforcement and prosecution of First Nations laws are to be identified, with a view to developing recommendations and identify pathways forward for implementation. The goal of the Table is to develop, and support the implementation of, concrete and lasting recommendations that will ensure First Nations laws can be consistently and reliably enforced and prosecuted.

The Table was publicly launched in the presence of Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald and Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, federal ministers Lametti, Blair, and Miller, Ontario Attorney-General Downey, and Solicitor-General Jones. The Table is composed of First Nations, federal, and provincial representatives, as well as two Elders. The Collaborative Table is co-chaired by the Chiefs of Ontario, the Department of Justice Canada, and the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.

Chiefs of Ontario has a mandate to participate at this Table through Resolution 21/37, and to advocate for specific recommendations as mandated by Chiefs-in-Assembly through Resolution 22/35S.

For more information about the Collaborative Table, refer to the Co-Chairs Report: Year One May 2021-May 2022, and Co-Chairs Report: Year Two May 2022 – May 2023.

First Nations leadership in Ontario have long recognized that First Nations women are the most at-risk group in Canada for issues related to violence. In 2010 through Resolution 10/31: Government of Canada to Re-Establish its Support for Sisters in Spirit, the Chiefs in Assembly made eliminating violence against women a top priority.

In 2011 the Leadership Council passed Motion 11/22 to establish a technical advisory group, the First Nations Women’s Caucus. Its mandate is to develop a community-based strategy for ending violence against First Nations women and girls. The First Nations Women’s Caucus advocated for a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which began in 2016.

Resolution 29/19 calls on the federal and provincial governments to provide implementation plans to monitor progress on the 231 Calls for Justice from the Final Report of the National Inquiry into MMIWG. A comprehensive National Action Plan was announced on June 3, 2021. The First Nations Women’s Caucus worked with the Assembly of First Nations Women’s Council to conduct engagement sessions with First Nations MMIWG families and survivors in Ontario. A summary report was produced in July 2021. Further discussions will be taking place regarding options to support First Nations communities in ending violence against women, girls and Two-Spirit/gender diverse people.

The First Nations Women’s Caucus is now supported through the Women’s Initiatives Sector.

Land Rights
& Interests

Article 19 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that federal and provincial governments “shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the Indigenous Peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free, prior and informed consent before adopting and implementing legislative or administrative measures that may affect them.”

Resolution 06/45 mandates the Chiefs of Ontario to undertake the consultation and accommodation work that is grounded in Resolution 05/45, where the Chiefs-in-Assembly affirmed the importance of the development of draft protocols for consultation and accommodation. Resolution 06/44 and Resolution 05/45 ground general work such as lobbying and offering support to First Nations.

Most currently, Resolution 21/39 mandates Chiefs of Ontario and the Justice Committee to develop updated potential solutions to the substandard consultation and accommodation practices of Canada and Ontario, which respect First Nations laws, Treaties, and require First Nations consent.

In consultation with the PTOs, Independent First Nations, and unaffiliated First Nations, the Chiefs Committee on Justice, and First Nations Leadership Council, the Justice Sector developed documents to support conversations with colonial governments to bring stronger awareness to government representatives and urge them to meet First Nations’ standards for consultation and engagement.

The Minimum Standards and Principles document summarizes best practices and principles that First Nations have continuously called for during consultation and engagement processes. This document explicitly mentions that its content does not replace nor is it held above the consultation guidance or standards provided directly by a First Nation.

The Engagement Checklist is a non-exhaustive checklist of basic obligations and responsibilities owed by colonial governments to First Nations during consultation and engagement processes. This document is intended to be a jumping-off point for government officials as they fulfill best practices during each stage of the consultation and engagement process.

DISCLAIMER: The Chiefs of Ontario is not a holder of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights and is not a party to consultation unless otherwise mandated by the Chiefs-in-Assembly. The content of these documents shall not hinder the autonomy and authority of First Nations as rights-holders. It is the prerogative of First Nations to determine their consultation processes, and the Crown must adhere to the process requirements of First Nations. As such, these documents are without prejudice to the ongoing and future processes of First Nations.

UNDRIP affirms the recognition and protection of Indigenous land and resource rights. Although Indigenous peoples never surrendered these rights throughout the treaty process, the Crown has consistently neglected to offer First Nations a fair resource revenue sharing agreement. Together with the Chiefs in Assembly, the Justice Department urges both settler governments to uphold the words of UNDRIP and negotiate equitable resource sharing agreements with First Nations in Ontario.

Heritage & Burials

Heritage and burials work is guided by Resolution 54/16, which calls for a renewal of relationships and energy in this area. Chiefs of Ontario supports the Kee:Way Committee, the First Nations Heritage and Burial Sites Working Group and Advisory Committee, which is responsible to and receives direction from First Nations Leadership to advise, guide, and support repatriations and related heritage and burials priorities as identified through Resolutions.

The Kee:Way Committee is presently working on the repatriation of sacred items and ancestors from various holding facilities from the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries, while also working on strengthening processes and respecting community approaches.

Chiefs of Ontario supports Kee:Way, the Ontario First Nations Heritage and Burial Sites Committee, which has its roots in the Ipperwash Inquiry and was formally established in 2012. The committee is comprised of the Elders Advisory Committee and the Technical Policy Working Group, with representation from the Anishinabek Nation, Grand Council Treaty #3, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Independent First Nations, and Six Nations of the Grand River. With over a decade of knowledge and experience, Kee:Way provides expert advice, guidance, and support on repatriations and the protection of sacred and burial sites.

Kee:Way is presently working on the repatriation of Ancestors in the care of the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism as well as the Office of the Chief Coroner, while also working on strengthening processes and respecting community approaches alongside Brandy George, First Nation Archaeologist and Cultural Advisor.

Another important priority for the committee is policy and legislative reform, namely strengthening relationships with municipalities to formalize First Nations’ participation in municipal planning and zoning processes, and examining legislation such as the Ontario Planning Act, the Coroners Act, the Ontario Heritage Act, and the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act to see where improvements can be made.

Resolutions

  • Resolution 12/34: Recognition and Strategy-Building for Protecting Our Values, Our Ancestral Remains, Our Sacred Sites, Our Sacred Items and Artifacts
  • Resolution 54/16: Renewing Heritage and Burials Relationships
  • Resolution 22/36S: Protecting Our Ancestors, Sacred Sites and Sacred Items

In accordance with Resolution 14/10A, the Justice Sector received several mandates to advocate for the continuance and expansion of the Office of the Independent Special Interlocutor on Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites (OISI). This advocacy includes the need for First Nations to receive the funding, support, resources, records, and other identified requirements to support their healing journey.

The Justice Sector is further mandated with coordinating support and advocacy for the implementation of the recommendations of the OISI, as they relate to the search for missing children and unmarked burials.

For further resources and contact information, please visit the COO Indian Residential School Information and Resources webpage.

Justice Projects

Anti-racism work at Chiefs of Ontario is rooted in several resolutions, including Resolution 21/36 Anti-Racism Work in Ontario, Resolution 94/22 Racism in Thunder Bay, Resolution 01/18 Legislation to Reduce Racism, Resolution 18/16 Implementation of Youth Inquest Recommendations, and Resolution 11/17 Inquest on Deaths of Indigenous Youth in Care.

At Chiefs of Ontario, we continue to advance and monitor anti-racism issues by:

  • Providing capacity to advance anti-racism issues and initiatives;
  • Identifying opportunities for anti-racism work and/or facilitating the creation of new opportunities; and
  • Working with other sectors to advocate for and monitor the implementation of the TRC Calls to Action, MMIWG Calls to Justice, Ipperwash Inquiry recommendations, and recommendations from countless other inquiries, reports and rulings.

In 2022-2023, the Chiefs of Ontario’s Justice Sector developed a Public Education and Awareness Campaign on systemic racism based on input received during Dialogue Sessions hosted with First Nations Youth, Women, and Elders in November 2021 and January 2022, with guidance from the Chiefs and Technicians Committee on Justice.

The campaign is intended to raise awareness about lesser-known systemic issues, the policy decisions that lead to them, and solutions to dismantle and correct them. In pinpointing some of the precise policy choices that have led to these systemic issues, we are highlighting the importance of connecting apathetic bureaucratic choices and their real-world outcomes.

The Chiefs of Ontario’s hope is that this campaign and the linkages it draws both educates the public on the causes and consequences of systemic issues and moves us away from endless cycles of engagement and inquiries on these already well-studied topics.

The Public Education and Awareness Campaign contains two main components: the 7 Things You May Not Know Were Systemic Racism booklet, and the downloadable social media graphics.

Chiefs of Ontario invites you to participate in this campaign to keep the conversation about dismantling systemic racism going.

Here’s how you can get involved:

  1. Share on social media. Chiefs of Ontario invites First Nations, Provincial Territorial Organizations, Tribal Councils, First Nations organizations, and the broader public to download the social media graphics and share them on your social media channels with the hashtags: #DismantleSystemicRacism or #PromoteAllyship and tagging @ChiefsofOntario
  2. Read the booklet. We’ve prepared a booklet to accompany the social media campaign. The booklet explores seven ways systemic racism manifests itself in Ontario and Canada and looks at a case study for each.
  3. Spread the word. Our hope is that the contents of this campaign help to inform and empower others to speak out against systemic racism and become advocates for the implementation of concrete solutions.

The Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace project aligns with Resolution 19/18 to support the development of a transformative framework to deal with the issue of sexual exploitation and sexual violence in First Nations communities.

Sexual harassment in the workplace is one facet of larger issues around sexual trauma, sexual exploitation, and sexual violence. The project can play a role in addressing this in the community through its efforts to better understand what sexual harassment and violence looks like in the employment context and how we can prevent and address it. The project will provide resources, assist in capacity building, and increasing dialogue on sexual harassment and sexual violence, specifically in the workplace.

One initiative of this Project is the Workplace Harassment Toolkit, a repository of information to help guide First Nations in their understandings of how to create and maintain healthy relationships in the workplace. The Chiefs of Ontario has created this toolkit to provide information relevant to anyone involved in the workplace and is a First Nations-focused, holistic response to sexual violence and abuse, acknowledging that workplaces are integral to our daily lives and supporting our communities.

Furthermore, a website has been developed as a part of this project. This website was developed to be a valuable public legal education and information resource to compliment the toolkit. The website provides resources and information for employers and employees to both prevent and address workplace sexual harassment, discrimination, and violence. It includes illustrations, Q+As, checklists, templates, and further downloadable resources on preventing and addressing sexual harassment, discrimination, and violence in the workplace.

You can access the website www.preventingshwp.com.

Additional resources:

The First Nations Law Making Project (FNLMP) was undertaken to align with Resolution 22/15, passed in June of 2015 at the All Ontario Chiefs Conference. Under the guide of this resolution, the FNLMP was launched to focus on supporting First Nations interested in exercising their jurisdiction in developing their own child and family welfare laws through legal education and information.

The project strived to:

  • Provide foundational and user-friendly information about the current context of First Nations child welfare law making
  • Demystify complex legal jargon and concepts;
  • Provide tips and tools to support First Nations in exercising jurisdiction on child welfare;
  • Provide useful real-world examples of First Nations jurisdiction of child welfare and law development in action; and
  • Collect and present links to other tools and relevant information.

As the first iteration of the Project, the Justice Sector launched the Child and Family Well-Being Law Making Bundle, in collaboration with COO Social Services Sector, frontline workers, academics, and legal professionals. This is in response to An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, better known as Bill C-92, which came into force on January 1, 2020.

In addition to several other resources and forums linked below, the Chiefs of Ontario and ThinkLink Graphics are proud to bring you a fast-draw graphic video detailing coordination agreements related to First Nations child and family welfare lawmaking. Coordination agreements can be a difficult matter to fully understand, so we hope this video provides an easy-to-understand outline of how coordination agreements work, what their process looks like, and more—all in a colourful and beautifully illustrated format.

You can find more lawmaking resources below:

Download the Child and Family Well-Being Law Making Bundle here.

View a presentation from OKT’s Maggie Wente on Child and Family Welfare Law-Making here.

View a presentation by Dr. Hadley Friedland and Koren Lightning Earle from the Child and Family Welfare Law-Making Forum, on August 2, 2023, here.

Download the Chiefs of Ontario’s Comparative Analysis on First Nations Laws Respecting Child and Family Welfare here.

Contact the Justice Sector

Jackie Lombardi
Director of Justice
Jackie.Lombardi@coo.org
Toronto Office: (416) 597-1266
Toll-Free: 1-877-517-6527

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