(OTTAWA) The government had agreed to “forever” release Catholic entities from their pledge to raise $25 million for victims of residential schools for Indigenous children, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press.
Posted at 10:35 a.m.
He had also agreed to pay their legal fees.
The Canadian Press obtained a signed copy of the 2015 deal through the Federal Freedom of Information Act. It seems that this is the first time that this document has been made public.
Experts and Indigenous leaders have long wondered why the federal government refused to appeal a 2015 court ruling that released Catholic groups from their obligation to raise $25 million for survivors of the residential school system for Indigenous children. .
The document is signed by a former deputy minister of the former Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
According to Ry Moran, the founder of the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation, now at the University of Victoria, it is important to understand what led to this decision.
Federal officials thought it was unlikely that Catholic groups could be coerced into raising the promised 25 million after they managed to raise less than 4 million.