After years of legal back-and-forth, the former students of Île-a-la-Crosse School and the Government of Canada have signed on to a proposed settlement agreement.
Survivors of the school had been excluded from the residential school’s settlement agreement because it was determined not to meet the federal definition.
Talks in 2019 between Metis Nation Saskatchewan, the federal government and a committee representing survivors failed to produce an agreement.
Metis Nation Justice Minister Brennan Merasty worked with the government to reach the settlement and has experienced the pain that led to this point first hand.
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“We see the disconnect in our communities and what it’s led us to, but we’re a resilient people. Our family structures are grounded. We’re strong in our culture and we’ll work through this together,” said Brennan.
By the letter of the agreement, it is possible for students to be compensated between $10,000 and $15,000.
The Canadian government will also give $10 million to create a non-profit organization to allocate funds to support healing, language protection, and commemoration of former students.
“The agreement is coming to the forefront. It was a long time waiting — our survivors get to finally turn the page and focus on the healing and coming back to who they are, discovering their roots and their well-being,” says Brennan.
Merasty says financial compensation alone won’t address the harms students faced.
“We have to carry these scars, these memories, these traumas with us for generations to come,” says Merasty.
The Government of Canada will ask a federal court to approve the agreement in March.
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