N.W.T. premier commits to transferring child and family services to Akaitcho First Nations - CBC
N.W.T. Premier R.J. Simpson at the Akaitcho Territory government's annual general assembly on Oct. 28, 2026. Simpson heard from leaders who raised a desire to take over jurisdiction of child and family services, which Simpson said he is open to exploring. (Sarah St-Pierre/CBC)Social SharingN.W.T. Premier R.J. Simpson has committed to transferring child and family services responsibilities to Akaitcho First Nations if they come forward and request it, speaking at their annual general assembly in Dettah.
Simpson's statement came after several members at the annual general assembly on Wednesday raised concerns about the delivery of child and family services by the territory. They included children in foster care being separated from their communities and culture. They cited a housing shortage as one reason why some children can't be cared for in their communities.
Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation Chief James Marlowe told CBC News he welcomed the premier's statement, saying the move would mean "that we take care of our own people, our own children, our own community, and according to our culture and tradition."
Multiple audits from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada have revealed a series of failings, including failing to check the safety of some foster homes, missing timelines on welfare checks and some case workers managing more than triple the internal maximum of 11 cases.
Marlowe said the first step in taking over child and welfare services will be to make sure there is appropriate funding and resources available to the communities to do this work, as well as consultation.
In an email answering follow-up questions, Simpson said the Yellowknives Dene First Nation has already indicated it wants to pursue the process and the Department of Health and Social Services will follow up to initiate work.
"If an Akaitcho First Nation, or any other Indigenous government in the N.W.T., decides to exercise jurisdiction, we are ready to work with its government and Canada through the process to establish a co-ordination agreement," he wrote.
An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families became federal law in 2019, and it recognizes Indigenous groups' inherent right to self-government, including having jurisdiction over child and family services.
While a self-government agreement is a pathway towards taking over child and family services, First Nations can negotiate other deals like a co-ordination agreement with the territorial and federal governments. This gives Indigenous law the same force as federal law.
First Nations can also provide a notice of intent to exercise jurisdiction to the territorial and federal governments. In this case, territorial and federal laws can still prevail over Indigenous law if there are conflicts.
Simpson said there is no set timeline for this kind of process, but noted formal discussions to set up a funding agreement with the N.W.T. government and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in support of Inuit-led child and family services took over two years.
Canada and N.W.T. sign historic funding agreement with Inuvialuit for child services
Simpson said the territorial government supports Indigenous governments taking over this jurisdiction.
"When a child cannot safely stay at home, the goal should be to keep them connected to family, community and culture wherever possible," Simpson wrote. "An ideal outcome is a First Nation-led system with the capacity to provide a full range of culturally-safe services to its members."
Sarah St-Pierre is a reporter with CBC North in Yellowknife. She is a 2025 CBC News Summer Scholar and has a master's degree in journalism from Carleton University. You can reach her in English or French at sarah.st-pierre-news@cbc.ca.
