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Important: You can now submit a Claim for the Removed Child Class and Removed Child Family Class. Learn more about how to complete a Claim.

Learn more about the Removed Child Class

The Removed Child Class includes First Nations[1] individuals who, while under the Age of Majority, were removed from their homes between April 1, 1991, and March 31, 2022, by Child Welfare Authorities. The removal from home happened while the Child or at least one of their Caregiving Parents or Caregiving Grandparents were Ordinarily Resident on Reserve or living in the Yukon. The placement was funded by Indigenous Services Canada.

Every person must submit their own Claim. The exception is if the Claimant is unable to manage their own financial and legal affairs due to mental incapacity or is deceased. In such cases, a representative may submit a Claim on their behalf. Representatives include:

Personal Representatives of Removed Child Class Members who are Persons Under Disability

A “Personal Representative” is an individual who is legally appointed to manage or make judgments or decisions about the affairs of a Person Under Disability.

A Person Under Disability is someone who lacks the mental capacity to manage or make reasonable decisions about their affairs and has a legally appointed Personal Representative.

Learn more about Personal Representatives →

Representatives for the estates of Deceased Removed Child Class Members

A “Representative” for a Deceased Removed Child is:

  • An individual who is legally appointed to represent the estate of the Deceased Removed Child by way of a Grant of Authority[3] (such as a will); or
  • The highest priority living heir[4] of the Deceased Removed Child if the Removed Child died without a Grant of Authority.

Learn more about Representatives →

Need help?

Support is available, at no cost to you. Contact the Administrator at 1‑833‑852‑0755 or email Generalinfo@Contact.FNChildClaims.ca for help to complete your Claim Form, obtain identification, and connect to cultural and wellness resources and supports. 

[1] First Nations: Under the Removed Child Class, as defined in the Settlement Agreement, a First Nations individual is someone who: 

  • Is registered under the Indian Act
  • Was entitled to be registered under section 6 of the Indian Act as it reads as of February 11, 2022 
  • Is a band member of a First Nation that controls its membership and was included on the band membership list before February 11, 2022

[2] Ordinarily Resident on Reserve means you lived most of the year on a First Nations reserve. You may have been temporarily living off reserve for education or work or to receive social services or other essential care, but if your main home was on reserve, you are considered to have been Ordinarily Resident on Reserve. 

[3] A Grant of Authority is a document that names the Estate Executor or Estate Administrator and is evidence that the Representative has the legal authority to receive compensation on behalf of the estate of the Eligible Deceased Claimant. A Grant of Authority may include one of the following documents:

  • Will (for example, Notarial Will for Quebec); or
  • Grant of Probate issued by a provincial or territorial court order; or
  • Grant of Administration letter issued by the Government of Canada, such as:
    • Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC); or
    • Indigenous Services Canada (ISC); or
    • Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC)

[4] An heir may be a spouse, child, grandchild, parent, sibling or grandparent of a Deceased Class Member. Only certain heirs may be eligible to represent a Deceased Class Member and receive compensation on their behalf.