Finally! Justice is served! The Canadian government recently agreed to pay over $2 billion to Indian residential school survivors to compensate for a lawsuit. The lawsuit aims to settle abuse experienced by students of Indian residential schools.
For a little historical background, the lawsuit was filed in 2012 by 325 First Nations that asked for compensation for the mental, physical and sexual abuse suffered by Indigenous children during the residential school period in Canada.
Between the late 1800s and early 1900s, more than 130 residential schools were operational in Canada. Throughout this period, over 150,000 First Nations children were forcefully sent to boarding schools and cut off from their homes and family as part of a government scheme to integrate them into Canadian society. Many of these children were sexually abused, raped, and beaten, and thousands are believed to have suffered fatal consequences due to malnutrition and disease. Many residential school survivors have testified regarding children who died at schools, where they were housed in poorly-built structures with poor heating and unsanitary conditions.
During recent years, we have seen increasing evidence of malpractice as numerous Indigenous communities stood up for their rights. These discoveries have reignited a much-needed debate about the corrupt system.
According to Shane Gottfriedson, former Chief and Representative Plaintiff of Tk’emlúpsteSecwépemc:
“The residential school system decimated our languages, damaged our cultures, and left a legacy of social harms,”
He further explained how the effects of the trauma are not just limited to his generation, but to many generations to come. During the Assembly of First Nations, Gottfriedsonsaid that the fight with the government to settle the rights of Canadian Native Americans has been ongoing. With the current lawsuit, we can hope that things will get better for the Indigenous people in Canada and a new era of fair treatment will begin.
We also agree with Garry Feschuk’s statement, one of the litigants and ex-chief of the shíshálh. He believes Canada should take responsibility for inflicting the harm and help reverse the damage. He sees this as a first good step towards healing what has been harmed.
The Canadian federal minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Marc Miller, spoke on behalf of the government and said that “all survivors should receive the compensation and justice that they deserve.” The details for distributing the funds will be decided later on by the Canadian federal court in late February.
The settlement was announced on Saturday and urged Canada to pay a total of US$2.1 billion to a non-profit organization that has no government dependence. The trust will use the money to support the education, wellness, healing, language, and culture of Indigenous people over 20 years.
This case of Indian residential school survivors is a classic example of why we need partnership and collaborative dialogue in solving historic disputes that lie outside of the court system. Thanks to the efforts of many, a settlement has been established that will support the healing of many upcoming Native generations. We hope to see the same level of zeal and dedication for Native American rights in the future.
The settlement is a great first step. Money helps but doesn't fix all the issues.
Feature Image from Wikimedia Commons
Royce Van Every Mohawk Strongwolfe
says:I, Royce Van Every , desendant of Chief Joseph Brant have spent $80,000 of my own money proving my Mohawk ancestry going back to the 1700s and received a rebate cheque in 2002 acknowleging my Federal Status. Here I am 21 years later still being DENIED the new Card by the facist communist terrorist CANADA !!!! who is the biggest serial killing country in todays age with the broken promising which piece of white trash Trudeau lies with every word coming from his child mouth. Canada might as well fly the swastika on evil parliment hill with every lying greedy politican in CANADA who have an endless supply of our tax dollars and spend billions on bringing the islamic terrorists here for FREE EVERYTHING
Val
says:Can a person still apply for this Residential Schoolthing ??
Paul G
says:Not sure.
BLAINE ROBINSON
says:Maybe I am cynical of the present Liberal Government, but I would suggest that they (and previous governments) have made
promises to the Indigenous peoples of Canada before but have not followed up with the appropriate action (For Example providing all reservations with drinking water).
If the dollars do actually show up, I would suggest that there be proper accounting of the monies received and what it is used for so that all people are able to benefit. This would ensure that the money actually shows up. At least I would hope it would.
Cindy
says:I am a survival of KIB & MISSION RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL, not fully paid for this ?