Home » The Class » Removed Child Class » Submitting a Claim

This page includes information on:

How to complete your Claim

Important: You must be the Age of Majority or within two years of the date you reach the Age of Majority where you currently live to submit a Claim.

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 has passed away. In such cases, a representative may submit a Claim on their behalf.

Step 1: Before you begin

All Claimants

To get ready to submit your Claim, make sure you have: 

  • A mailing address
  • A bank account in your name, if you wish to receive compensation as a direct deposit

Representatives 

To get ready to submit a Claim on behalf of a Class Member who is deceased or a Person Under Disability[1], make sure you have:

  • A mailing address for you, the Representative[3]
  • A bank account in
    • The name of the Deceased Removed Child’s estate if there is a Grant of Authority[4] in place where you are named as the legal Representative of the Deceased Removed Child
    • Your name, if you are submitting a Claim as the heir[5] of the Deceased Class Member
    • The name of the Removed Child if they are a Person Under Disability

Learn more about supporting documents for representatives →

Step 2: Find your Claim Form

Claim Form A: Removed Child 

Use this Claim Form if you are: 

  • A Removed Child Class Member submitting a Claim for yourself; or
  • A Personal Representative[6] of a Removed Child Class Member who is a Person Under Disability[1]

Find technical support for the Claims Portal in the FAQ →

Claim Form B: Representative of a Deceased Removed Child

Use this Claim Form if you are a Representative[3] of a Deceased Removed Child

Find technical support for the Claims Portal in the FAQ →

Companion Guide to Claim Form A:
Removed Child
(includes Person Under Disability)

Companion Guide to Claim Form B:
Representative of a Deceased Removed Child

Explainer Video for Claim Form A:
Removed Child
(includes Person Under Disability)

Explainer Video for Claim Form B:
Representative of a Deceased Removed Child

Step 3: Get assistance with completing your Claim Form 

Ask for help

If you need support while filling out your Claim Form, you can have a trusted family member or friend assist you. You can also contact the Administrator at 1-833-852-0755 (toll-free) to ask questions about the Claims Process or to walk you through the Claim Form. If you require additional help, the Administrator may refer you to a Claims Helper. Claims Helpers are available, at no cost, to help you complete your Claim Form, learn how to obtain identification, and connect you to cultural and wellness resources and supports.

Regardless of who helps you, you must read and understand everything that is included in the Claim Form, and sign and submit the Claim Form yourself.

Step 4: Submit your Claim 

To submit a Claim, you can: 

  • Complete and submit your Claim Form online using the Claims Portal  
  • Download a fillable PDF or use a printed version. Complete, sign and date the Claim Form, then submit it along with a copy of your ID and copies of any required supporting documentation, to the Administrator by: 
    • Email: Claims@Admin.FNChildClaims.ca; or 
    • Fax: 1-416-815-2723; or 
    • Mail: Settlement Administrator,
      PO Box 2500 STN MAIN,
      Newmarket, Ontario L3Y 0H9

Please do not courier your Claim Form as the Administrator cannot accept courier deliveries.

Important: Do not include original identification or other documents with your Claim Form. Make and send copies (photocopy, scan or photo). Please send images of both sides of all identification and documents and ensure images are not blurry, too light or too dark to read.

Do you think you may be eligible in more than one Class?

A separate Claim Form is required for each Class. If you believe you are eligible under multiple Classes, you will need to complete and submit a separate Claim Form for each Class. For example, if you are seeking compensation as both a Removed Child and as a Caregiving Parent or Caregiving Grandparent, there are separate Claim Forms for each Class to complete and submit. If you are not sure which Claim Form is right for you, call the Administrator at 1-833-852-0755 (toll-free).

Step 5: Provide missing or additional information 

The Administrator will review your Claim Form to ensure you provided everything that is required. If information is missing, or additional information is needed, the Administrator will contact you.

If the Administrator requires additional or missing information, provide it as soon as possible once you receive the request from the Administrator.  

There are important deadlines for providing missing information. You will need to ensure the Administrator receives any missing information by the later of: 

  • Six months after the Claims Deadline (if your Claims Deadline is March 10, 2028, this means by September 10, 2028); or
  • Six months after the date of the Administrator’s request for missing information.

If the missing information is not provided within the above timeframes, the Administrator will send a Final Notice for Missing Information Letter. Prior to sending this final notice, the Administrator will verify that you were offered support with locating and submitting missing information to the Administrator. If missing information is not received by the Administrator within six months of the date of the Final Notice, the Claim will be denied.

If you made a mistake on your Claim Form, have additional information, or need to make changes to your submitted Claim Form, including updates to your personal and contact information, please call the Administrator immediately at 1-833-852-0755. 

Learn about eligibility decisions and appeals →

Timelines for submitting your Claim

Removed Child Class Members and Personal Representatives for a Person Under Disability 

The Claims Deadline for the Removed Child Class depends on when the Removed Child Claimant reaches the Age of Majority. 

At or over the Age of Majority on March 10, 2025 

If the Removed Child[1] was already the Age of Majority when the Claims Period opened on March 10, 2025, they have until March 10, 2028, to submit their Removed Child Class Claim.

Under the Age of Majority on March 10, 2025 

If the Removed Child[1] was under the Age of Majority when the Claims Period opened on March 10, 2025, they have three years from the date they reach the Age of Majority to submit their Removed Child Class Claim.

A Removed Child Class Claim may be submitted up to two years before the Child reaches the Age of Majority. If eligible, compensation can only be distributed after the Removed Child reaches the Age of Majority.

The Administrator cannot accept a Claim for a Removed Child who is more than two years away from reaching the Age of Majority.

Representatives of Deceased Removed Child Class Members 

Representatives[2] of Deceased Removed Child Class Members of any age must submit their Claim by March 10, 2028.

If a Removed Child[1] passed away after March 10, 2025, while under the Age of Majority, the Representative has three years from the Removed Child’s date of death to submit a Claim.

Claims deadline extensions

If personal circumstances prevent you from submitting your Claim in the three-year Claims Period, you can request a one-year extension, which is subject to approval by the Administrator. The Request for Deadline Extension Form will be available prior to March 10, 2028.

Representatives

All representatives 

A legally appointed representative is someone designated by the courts to make decisions on behalf of:

  • A Person Under Disability who lacks the mental capacity to manage or make reasonable decisions about their affairs. This representative is called a Personal Representative[6].
  • The estate of a Class Member who is deceased.

An heir[5] is someone who is related to the Class Member and may submit a Claim on behalf of a Deceased Class Member where there is no legally appointed representative.

Claims by family members or legal guardians on behalf of a Class Member (including minors) are not permitted under the Settlement Agreement unless they are the legally appointed representative or qualify as eligible heirs.

Requirements to submit a Claim as a representative of a Class Member depend on the type of representative you are.

Personal Representative for a Person Under Disability 

A Personal Representative[6] is someone legally appointed or designated to make decisions for a Person Under Disability. A Person Under Disability is someone who is unable to manage or make reasonable decisions about their affairs because of mental incapacity.

To be legally appointed as a Class Member’s Personal Representative means you have:

  • A signed Power of Attorney (POA) or Protection Mandate; or
  • A provincial or territorial appointment order (including appointment of a Public Guardian and Trustee), or a federal appointment order for the administration of property by Indigenous Services Canada (Administrator for Property).

Learn about supporting documents for Personal Representatives →

Representatives for Deceased Class Members 

A Representative[3] of a Deceased Class Member is:

  1. An individual who is legally appointed by Grant of Authority[4] (such as a will) to represent the estate of the Deceased Class Member; or
  2. The highest priority living heir[5] of the Deceased Class Member, if the Class Member passed away without a Grant of Authority.

Where a Grant of Authority is in place, Representatives submitting on behalf of a Deceased Class Member will need to provide a copy of the Grant of Authority document that shows their appointment as a Representative (Executor or Administrator) of the deceased person’s estate.

Where a Grant of Authority is not in place, family members of the Deceased Class Member can make a Claim as an heir. If the family member of the Deceased Class Member is not First Nations or does not have a biological relationship to the Class Member, they will also need to provide evidence of their relationship to the Deceased Class Member.

A Representative of an eligible Claimant who passed away after submitting their own Claim while alive will be asked to provide additional information to the Administrator.

Processing timelines vary depending on if there is a Grant of Authority in place. Claims submitted by Representatives with a Grant of Authority will take priority over Claims by Representatives without a Grant of Authority.

Where no Grant of Authority is in place, the Administrator must wait to process Claims until after the Claimant’s Ultimate Claims Deadline, which is four years from when the Claimant’s Claims Period opened. This wait is required because multiple heirs may make competing Claims, and the Administrator must wait until all potential Claims are submitted before making a decision about the Claim.

Learn about supporting documents for Representatives of Deceased Removed Child Class Members →

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] A Person Under Disability is someone who lacks the mental capacity to manage or make reasonable decisions about their affairs.

[2] A Removed Child is defined as a First Nations individual who, while under the Age of Majority, was removed from their home between April 1, 1991, and March 31, 2022, by Child Welfare Authorities. The removal from home must have 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.

[3] A Representative is someone designated by the courts to make decisions on behalf of the estate of a Class Member who is deceased where a Grant of Authority is in place, or where no Grant of Authority is in place, the highest priority living heir.

[4] 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)

[5] An Heir may be a spouse, child, grandchild, parent, sibling or grandparent of the Deceased Class Member. Only the highest priority living heirs may be eligible to represent and receive compensation on behalf of a Deceased Class Member where there is no Grant of Authority in place.

[6] A Personal Representative is someone designated by the courts to make decisions on behalf of a Person Under Disability.

To be legally appointed as a Class Member’s Personal Representative means you should have:

  • A signed Power of Attorney (POA) or Protection Mandate; or
  • A provincial or territorial appointment order (including appointment of a Public Guardian and Trustee), or a federal appointment order for the administrator of property by Indigenous Services Canada (Administrator for Property).