The federal government has reached a $2.8 billion settlement in a class action lawsuit brought by two BC First Nations whose members attended federal residential schools.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller announced on Saturday that the government has signed an agreement with the plaintiffs, or 325 nations that took part in the Gottfriedson Band class action.
“Agreements like the one announced today do not erase the past and do not repair what has been done. What they can do is help address the collective harm caused by Canada’s deeply colonial past, which has resulted in the loss of language, culture and heritage,” said Minister Miller.
The initial lawsuit originally involved three categories of plaintiffs, but in 2021 all parties agreed to focus their efforts to first reach an agreement with survivors and their descendants, to ensure that they can receive compensation during their lifetime.
Mr. Miller said the agreement will be guided by four pillars: the revival and protection of Aboriginal languages, the revival and protection of Aboriginal cultures, the protection and promotion of heritage and the well-being of Aboriginal communities and their members.
This is the first time that Canada has compensated bands and communities as a collective for harms related to residential schools, he said.
“Reconciliation is not free, we are talking about a lot of money, recalled the minister. Is that enough? I think only time will tell, but we know there is still a lot to do. »
Miller said the $2.8 billion will be placed in an independent, not-for-profit trust, adding that further terms associated with the settlement will be released next month.
Former shíshálh chief Garry Feschuk and former Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc chief Shane Gottfriedson began the process more than a decade ago to seek justice for day students who were abused in residential schools, but who were not not eligible for the 2006 regulations for full-time students.
“Today, we represent 325 Indigenous nations across Canada and have developed a settlement plan to allow nations to work towards the four pillars,” said Gottfriedson.
“This agreement allows our Indigenous nations to control this process: we will manage and distribute the funds, we will provide them to the 325 nations in a fair and objective manner. »
Individual nations will decide which of the four pillars to focus on and develop implementation plans.
An approval of the deal will take place between Feb. 27 and March 1 in federal court, and then it will have to wait for an appeal period to pass before the funds are transferred to the trust.
Note to readers: In an earlier version, The Canadian Press erroneously reported that the class action was brought by members of a First Nation in British Columbia, who had attended federal residential schools as day students. In fact, the action was brought by two First Nations for all boarders, not just day students.