Ontario Final Agreement to reform the First Nations Child and Family Services Program
Learn about the Ontario Final Agreement with the Chiefs of Ontario, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, and Canada.
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About the agreement
The Ontario Final Agreement is a landmark $8.5 billion agreement to reform the First Nations Child and Family Services Program in Ontario. The agreement empowers First Nations in Ontario to make decisions regarding their children and families. It provides secure, flexible, prevention-focused funding as well as funding that recognizes and accounts for the increased costs of services in remote communities.
The agreement sets a path forward to continued reform of child and family services, moving away from one-size-fits-all systems toward community-driven solutions that reflect the unique needs of First Nations in Ontario.
Read the Executive Summary of the Ontario Final Agreement.
Background
In February 2025, the Chiefs of Ontario, Nishnawbe Aski Nation and Canada reached an agreement to reform the First Nations Child and Family Services Program in Ontario.
On March 30, 2026, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal approved the Ontario Final Agreement.
Funding
This $8.5 billion agreement marks a historic step toward a future where First Nations children and families in Ontario have access to fair, culturally grounded, community-led services.
The Ontario Final Agreement commits over $900 million per year to First Nations child and family services in Ontario.
In addition to funding already flowing for services such as prevention, approximately $158 million will be provided in fiscal year 2026-27, to Ontario First Nations and child and family service providers.
It enables First Nations to care for their children and families by:
- strengthening prevention-focused services
- supporting families to continue to care for their children
- enabling communities to design and deliver programs rooted in their own cultures, languages and priorities
It includes funding for:
- prevention services
- post-majority support services
- First Nation representative services
- capital infrastructure
It also includes limited-time funding for housing designed to keep children safe at home.
Contact us
For more information on negotiations for regional agreements:
First Nations Children and Families Program and Partnerships Branch
Indigenous Services Canada
10 rue Wellington 22nd floor
Gatineau QC K1A 0H4
Email: InfoRLT-LTRInfo@sac-isc.gc.ca
Related links
- Executive summary of the Final Agreement on Long-Term Reform of the First Nations Child and Family Services Program in Ontario
- Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Approves Historic Agreement to Reform Ontario First Nations Child and Family Services
- Chiefs of Ontario, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, and Canada sign an Ontario Final Agreement to reform child and family services
- Ontario Final Agreement and Trilateral Agreement Resources and Summary