The Ontario Final Agreement Comes into Force: A Historic Step Forward for First Nations Child and Family Services in Ontario – OKT LLP
May 29, 2026
On March 30, 2026, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (the “Tribunal”) approved the Final Agreement on Long‑Term Reform of the First Nations Child and Family Services Program in Ontario (the Ontario Final Agreement, or the “OFA”). Today, that historic agreement officially comes into force.
The OFA represents a historic step forward in addressing the longstanding and systemic discrimination identified in the Tribunal’s 2016 Merit Decision (First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada et al. v Canada, 2016 CHRT 2), which found that Canada’s First Nations Child and Family Services (“FNCFS”) Program failed First Nations children and families. With its coming into effect, the OFA begins a new chapter – one grounded in First Nations self-determination, substantive equality, and lasting reform of child and family services across Ontario.
The Tribunal’s March 30 decision confirmed that the OFA fulfills the objectives of its prior orders and provides a comprehensive framework to address, eliminate, and prevent the recurrence of discrimination in the FNCFS Program. You can read the Tribunal’s March 30 decision here, and a summary of the decision prepared by OKT here.
