The Canadian government likely owes Indigenous people almost $76 billion for currently filed land claims and lawsuits, recent official reporting says — a sum that’s nearly seven times greater today than when Justin Trudeau became prime minister.
In 2015, Ottawa counted $11 billion in “contingent liabilities,” which are potential legal obligations recorded only in cases where the probability of future payment is considered “likely,” according to the 2023 public accounts of Canada.
Looking at the numbers, Idlout points to the persistent poverty, overlapping social crises and acute infrastructure deficit Indigenous people continue to grapple with.
Contingent liabilities are recorded when lawyers assess a claim and conclude the Crown is at least 70 per cent likely to lose in court and it has a dollar value on it, Giroux told CBC Indigenous.
First Nations child advocate Cindy Blackstock said the government will continue stacking up legal bills and be held liable for ever-greater sums of cash if it chooses to deny, stall and fight.
“When a credible report comes forward and it shows that there’s an injustice, their first reaction should be to fix the problem, instead of fighting the victims,” said Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society.
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The Canadian government likely owes Indigenous people almost $76 billion for currently filed land claims and lawsuits, recent official reporting says — a sum that’s nearly seven times greater today than when Justin Trudeau became prime minister.
In 2015, Ottawa counted $11 billion in “contingent liabilities,” which are potential legal obligations recorded only in cases where the probability of future payment is considered “likely,” according to the 2023 public accounts of Canada.
Looking at the numbers, Idlout points to the persistent poverty, overlapping social crises and acute infrastructure deficit Indigenous people continue to grapple with.
Contingent liabilities are recorded when lawyers assess a claim and conclude the Crown is at least 70 per cent likely to lose in court and it has a dollar value on it, Giroux told CBC Indigenous.
First Nations child advocate Cindy Blackstock said the government will continue stacking up legal bills and be held liable for ever-greater sums of cash if it chooses to deny, stall and fight.
“When a credible report comes forward and it shows that there’s an injustice, their first reaction should be to fix the problem, instead of fighting the victims,” said Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society.
The original article contains 757 words, the summary contains 201 words. Saved 73%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!