TORONTO—Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict and the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) leadership council are calling for unity among First Nations leaders and organizations to support the Ontario Final Agreement (OFA) and move forward with long-overdue child welfare reform.
“The Chiefs in our region have been clear: our children cannot wait,” said Ontario Regional Chief Benedict. “We have a strong mandate from the Ontario Chiefs-in-Assembly to pursue this agreement, and any attempts to delay its implementation will be considered unacceptable interference on our communities’ inherent jurisdiction. We call upon all parties, including the Caring Society and First Nations Child and Family Services agencies, to respect the will of the chiefs and support the unity and leadership of our communities. The time for delay is over. Our children deserve better.”
First Nations leadership in Ontario recognize the urgency of this moment and could not wait another decade for national processes to resolve. While the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society chose not to participate in national negotiation, and ultimately rejected the Assembly of First Nations’ agreement, Ontario chiefs moved forward to secure the Ontario Final Agreement, ensuring immediate benefits for children and families.
The urgency is underscored by the over-representation of Indigenous children in the welfare system, now referred to as the “Millennial Scoop.” Today, there are more Indigenous children in care that there were at the height of the residential school system. Immediate action is essential to address this crisis and protect the well-being of our children,” said COO.
Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) emphasized the urgent need in northern communities. “In NAN territory, the challenges of geography and remoteness make delivering services especially urgent and costly. The OFA recognizes this reality and ensures our children and families in the North have access to the prevention support they deserve. We cannot allow delays or divisions to deny our kids the care they need.”
Grand Chief Joel Abram of the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians (AIA) and the portfolio holder of the COO Chiefs Committee on Social Services underscored that “the OFA is about our inherent right to care for our children in our own way. For too long, governments and agencies have imposed systems that have failed our kids. This agreement ensures that prevention services are directed by our Nations and for our Nations.”
The $8.5 billion Ontario Final Agreement (OFA) was negotiated to ensure prevention services are delivered directly within First Nations, with particular benefits for remote and northern Nations where service delivery costs are much higher.
This agreement emerged after the collapse of the national $48 billion child welfare package at the AFN special chief’s assembly on October 17, 2024. Despite that setback, First Nations in Ontario have remained committed to reforming the FNCFS program.
In November 2024, the Ontario Chiefs-in-Assembly mandated COO to pursue an Ontario-specific agreement. At the same time, the Chiefs-in-Assembly passed a non-interference resolution, affirming that decisions made by Ontario chiefs on child welfare reform must be respected and not obstructed by outside parties.
In March 2025, following ratification at the COO special chief’s assembly, COO and Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) submitted the Ontario final agreement approval motion.
In September 2025, COO and NAN learned that the motion would be opposed by the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (Caring Society). The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) also set a timeline for hearing the motion.
