On Thursday, February 28, 2019, the federal government introduced Bill C-92, An Act respecting First Nations, Métis and Inuit children, youth and families for first reading. After many years of well documented discrimination against Indigenous children, there is much hope in this legislative process to reverse this trend, empower Indigenous peoples to reclaim jurisdiction in this area, and ensure the rights of children are affirmed. To realize those hopes, five legal scholars working in the area of Indigenous law drafted this analysis with the aim to improve the current legislation as it moves through committee and the Senate. They have identified five key areas in the legislation that should be addressed in order to make meaningful change in the lives of Indigenous children and families: National Standards, Funding, Accountability, Jurisdiction and Data Collection & Reporting.
