Home » The Class » Removed Child Family 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 is deceased. 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 copy (photocopy, scan or photo) of an approved form of your valid government-issued identification (ID)
  • Supporting documentation (if required)
    • If you are not First Nations[1] or not biologically related to the Removed Child[2], you will need to provide supporting documentation showing your relationship to the Removed Child (e.g., adoption records)
  • 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[3], make sure you have:

  • Valid government-issued ID for both the Removed Child Family Class Member and for you (the representative)
  • Supporting documentation if you are not First Nations or do not have a biological relationship, showing your relationship to the Removed Child Family Class Member and/or your legal authority to represent them
  • Mailing address for you, the representative

Payments for the Removed Child Family Class will be made after Ultimate Claims Deadline (four years from when your Claims Period opened), at which point you will need a bank account for the estate or for the eligible heir. Depending on the circumstances of the Claim, you will need a bank account in:

  • The name of the Deceased Claimant’s estate if there is a Grant of Authority[4] in place where you are named as the legal Representative[5] of the Deceased Removed Child Family Class Member
  • Your name, if you are submitting a Claim as the heir[6] of the Deceased Class Member
  • The name of the Removed Child Family Class Claimant if they are a Person Under Disability[3]

Learn more about representatives →

Step 2: Find your Claim Form

Claim Form C: Caregiving Parent or Caregiving Grandparent of a Removed Child

Use this Claim Form if you are:

  • A Removed Child Family Class Member submitting a Claim for yourself; or
  • The Personal Representative[7] of a Removed Child Family Class Member who is a Person Under Disability[3]

Find technical support for the Claims Portal in the FAQ →

Claim Form D: Representative of a Deceased Caregiving Parent or Caregiving Grandparent of a Removed Child

Use this Form if you are a Representative[5] of a Deceased Removed Child Family Class Member.

Find technical support for the Claims Portal in the FAQ →

Companion Guide to Claim Form C:
Caregiving Parent or Caregiving Grandparent of a Removed Child (includes Person Under Disability[3])

Companion Guide to Claim Form D:
Representative of a Deceased Caregiving Parent or Caregiving Grandparent of a Removed Child[2]

Explainer Video for Claim Form C:
Caregiving Parent or Caregiving Grandparent of a Removed Child (includes Person Under Disability[3])

Explainer Video for Claim Form D:
Representative of a Deceased Caregiving Parent or Caregiving Grandparent of a Removed Child[2]

Step 3: Get assistance with completing your Claim Form

Filling out the Claim Form and gathering required documents can be challenging. Here are some ways to get help with your Claim.

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 Contact Centre may direct 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:

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

Important: Don’t include your 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 are 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 Caregiving Parent or Caregiving Grandparent, and as a Removed Child[2], 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 Family Class Members and Personal Representatives for a Person Under Disability

Adult Caregiving Parents or Caregiving Grandparents must submit their Claim by March 10, 2028, regardless of the age of the associated Removed Child[2]. The associated Removed Child is the Child named on the Claim Form of the Removed Child Family Class Claimant. If the Caregiving Parent or Caregiving Grandparent is a minor, the final date to submit a Claim in the Removed Child Family Class depends on when they reach the Age of Majority.

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

If the Caregiving Parent or Caregiving Grandparent 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 Family Class Claim, regardless of the age of the associated Removed Child.

Under the Age of Majority on March 10, 2025

If the Caregiving Parent or Caregiving Grandparent 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 Family Class Claim.

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

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

Representatives of Deceased Removed Child Family Class Members

Representatives[5] of Deceased Removed Child Family Class Members of any age must submit their Claim by March 10, 2028.

In situations where a Removed Child Family Class Member passed away after March 10, 2025, while under the Age of Majority, the Representative has three years from the Removed Child Family Class Member’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.

Learn more about submitting a Claim →

Representatives

All representatives

Every person must submit their own Claim. The situations where a representative can submit a Claim on behalf of a Class Member are:

  • as a Personal Representative[7] of a Person Under Disability[3]; or
  • a Representative[5] of a Class Member who has died.

A representative may be either legally appointed, or a family member who is an eligible heir[6].

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.
  • The estate of a Class Member who is deceased.

An heir is someone who is related to the Class Member and may submit a Claim on behalf of a Deceased Class Member.

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[7] is someone legally appointed or designated to make decisions for a Person Under Disability[3]. 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 of Removed Child Family Class Members. →

Representatives for Deceased Class Members 

A Representative[5] of a Deceased Class Member is:

  • 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
  • A living heir[6] of the Deceased Class Member (only certain heirs are eligible, depending on the Claim).

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.

In certain cases, 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[1] 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 who takes over a Claim of an eligible Claimant who passed away after submitting their own Claim, will be asked to provide additional information to the Administrator.

Processing timelines vary depending on if there is a have a Grant of Authority in place and depending on the nature of the Claim.

Learn about supporting documents for Representatives of Deceased Removed Child Family 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] First Nations: Under the Removed Child Family 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] 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 Person Under Disability is someone who lacks the mental capacity to manage or make reasonable decisions about their affairs

[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] 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.

[6] 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.

For Type B deceased Caregiving Parents and Caregiving Grandparents, eligible heirs who may receive compensation include only the living children of the Caregiving Parent or living grandchildren of the Caregiving Grandparent. If there are no living children or living grandchildren, such Claim is not eligible for compensation.

[7] 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).