The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says the organization is about to finalize a deal with Ottawa on child welfare reforms that will top the $20 billion promised as part of a landmark settlement.

But it likely won害羞草研究所檛 include reforms to a legal rule, Jordan害羞草研究所檚 Principle, intended to ensure First Nations kids get the care they need when they need it with payments to be worked out afterward.

Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak is calling it a 害羞草研究所渕onumental agreement害羞草研究所� and said she will continue to work with chiefs before they ratify it later this year.

害羞草研究所淭ime is not our friend 害羞草研究所� there害羞草研究所檚 a (federal) election in a year or less,害羞草研究所� Woodhouse Nepinak said in an interview Tuesday.

害羞草研究所淚 think the chiefs will be very happy with what I害羞草研究所檝e been negotiating alongside the Assembly of First Nations, alongside other parties. We害羞草研究所檙e trying our best.害羞草研究所�

Woodhouse Nepinak害羞草研究所檚 comments come after three regional chiefs representing more than half of First Nations recently penned a letter to her saying the assembly is overstepping by making decisions about reforms without consulting children and families.

The chiefs, representing First Nations in Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Quebec-Labrador, said the organization is not being transparent in its negotiations for a final settlement agreement.

Woodhouse Nepinak refuted that assertion, and said the executive team, of which those three chiefs are members, has been briefed throughout the process. She said the other chiefs will have 120 days to review the agreement before it害羞草研究所檚 brought to a special chiefs assembly in the fall to vote on.

Chiefs Bobby Cameron, Terry Teegee and Ghislain Picard said the assembly has refused to call meetings on the negotiations since February, and it has imposed terms of reference that interfere with an independent expert advisory committee responsible for developing and implementing a work plan to reform Indigenous Services Canada.

As a result, they said, Canada is now only prepared to fund the advisory committee for activities the assembly authorizes.

The assembly said the draft agreement will be publicly available to chiefs in full.

The three regional chiefs also raised concerns that the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, which jointly launched the human-rights complaint that led to the settlement agreement, is being frozen out.

Woodhouse Nepinak said the AFN 害羞草研究所渋s not responsible for other parties if they leave tables or not.害羞草研究所�

Cindy Blackstock, who heads the Caring Society, pulled out of the agreement in principle, citing concerns with Jordan害羞草研究所檚 Principle as she brought forward another non-compliance motion to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal against Ottawa earlier this year.

But the agreement being worked on with Ottawa is unlikely to include funding to ensure Jordan害羞草研究所檚 Principle is followed, Woodhouse Nepinak said.

The legal principle says First Nations children must receive the health care and social services they need even if there is a jurisdictional dispute over which government should pay for it.

害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 a separate issue,害羞草研究所� Woodhouse Nepinak said. 害羞草研究所淪o we can start talking about that in the fall.害羞草研究所�

The complaint that led to the settlement revolved around allegations that Ottawa害羞草研究所檚 underfunding of on-reserve child welfare services amounted to discrimination, and that First Nations children were denied equal access to support including school supplies and medical equipment.

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal found in 2016 that First Nations are adversely affected by the services provided by the government and, in some cases, denied services as a result of the government害羞草研究所檚 involvement.

One representative plaintiff in the class action for Jordan害羞草研究所檚 Principle families, Carolyn Buffalo, is a mother from Montana First Nation in Maskwacis, Alta.

Shortly after the Federal Court approved the settlement last year, she spoke about frustrations in trying to get her son care for his cerebral palsy on-reserve, despite Jordan害羞草研究所檚 Principle being adopted by the federal government in 2007.

害羞草研究所淩eforming the system of child and family services and putting it back into the hands of First Nations, that害羞草研究所檚 what we害羞草研究所檙e talking about right now,害羞草研究所� said Woodhouse Nepinak, adding Jordan害羞草研究所檚 Principle work will continue through other processes.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 just here trying to pull out money from the federal government,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚 wish the Caring Society would come back to the table.害羞草研究所�

Blackstock said in an interview Tuesday she had already expected the reforms to cost more than $20 billion, given increases to the population and inflation.

But she questioned how much room there will be for chiefs to voice their concerns once they are presented with the draft agreement. And as some First Nations, including in Alberta, don害羞草研究所檛 participate in the assembly, she questioned how their voices and concerns will be heard, too.

害羞草研究所淚f you害羞草研究所檙e handing me a document and it害羞草研究所檚 going to affect my children for the next X number of years, now and for many generations to come, I get to have a say in that,害羞草研究所� Blackstock said.

害羞草研究所淎nd, more importantly, my community does as well. There needs to be adequate time for people to look at it at the nation level, and then maybe even do community consultations around it.害羞草研究所�

Her critique stretched to Indigenous Services Canada, too, saying Canada has a duty to consult with First Nations, and it 害羞草研究所渟eems to be just passing the buck to the AFN 害羞草研究所� It害羞草研究所檚 Canada害羞草研究所檚 responsibility to do honour of the Crown and not discharge its consultation mandate with First Nations.害羞草研究所�

Indigenous Services Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Blackstock said the Caring Society left the agreement in principle because the process 害羞草研究所渨as not achieving the goal of ending discrimination,害羞草研究所� but added it has always been open to participation in the final settlement agreement.

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