China News Agency, Toronto, July 5th (Reporter Yu Ruidong) The Canadian federal government has signed a "final settlement" agreement with the First Nations Congress, one of the main organizations of aboriginal people, and the plaintiffs in two class action lawsuits. A total of $20 billion in compensation for First Nations children and their families who have long been discriminated against in the system.

　　The Canadian government announced on July 4 that it was the largest settlement with Aboriginal peoples in the country's history, which acknowledged the harm suffered by First Nations children and their families.

　　However, the compensation settlement must be approved by the Canadian Human Rights Court and then the Federal Court.

　　According to the agreement, the groups eligible for compensation mainly include: children who were taken from their homes and sent to child care institutions under the First Nations Children and Families Services Program from April 1991 to the end of March 2022; Children affected by the Canadian government's narrow definition of the "Jordan Principles" in early November 2017; children who did not receive or delayed access to basic public services or products from April 1991 to mid-December 2007; parents or grandparents who directly care for the above-mentioned children .

　　The three officially recognized Aboriginal groups include the First Nations (collectively the Aboriginal Indians and their descendants), the Inuit, and the Métis who were born after the intermarriage of early European immigrants and Aboriginal people.

The "Jordan Principles" refer to ensuring that First Nations children receive the social services and support they need from the government when they need it.

　　The Canadian government announced in January this year that it had reached an agreement in principle with the First Nations Congress to make up for the child welfare system, including $20 billion in compensation to affected children and families; long-term reforms to the "First Nations Children and Families Service Program" , of which nearly 20 billion Canadian dollars were invested in the first five years.

　　The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled in 2016 that the child welfare system on Aboriginal reservations was underfunded and that Aboriginal children were systematically discriminated against by the federal government.

A 2019 Human Rights Tribunal ordered the government to pay compensation to Aboriginal children and their families who were improperly sent to childcare facilities.

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