Carrier Sekani Tribal Council Applaud the British Columbia Court of Appeal’s Decision for the Indian Residential Schools Settlement AgreementSep 9 2008September 9, 2008 – The Court of Appeal for British Columbia uphold the decision by Chief Justice Brenner’s decision on the enforceability as against Canada of certain directions to pay and assignments of moneys owing to claimants under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. “This judgment acknowledges the difficulties our Survivors are dealing with, they not only have to relive the traumatic experiences but having businesses/lawyers taking advantage of the situation for their personal gain,” said Vice-Tribal Chief Catherine Lessard of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council. “It is one thing to advise clients of financial decisions however it crosses the line when you try and control individuals’ finances. Survivors need to be advised of their rights not to be taken advantage of as we have seen from the onset of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.” Tribal Chief David Luggi of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council recognizes and applauds the decision that clearly states the payments made under the Common Experience Payments must go directly to the Survivors and creditors or institutions that have instructed/demanded “Direction to Pay” must respect that decision. - 30 - For more information, please contact: Vice-Tribal Chief Catherine Lessard at (250) 565-5139 Tribal Chief David Luggi at (250) 640-6622 http://www.residentialschoolsettlement.ca/
Indian Residential School Settlement For the most updated information regarding the Indian Residential School Settlement, CLICK HERE to visit the offical website (http://www.residentialschoolsettlement.ca). For Questions on the Indian Residential Schools Settlement please call: 1-866-879-4913 (toll free). IRS Historical Overview(exerpt from the Department of Justice, Canada. Available from http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/dept/pub/dig/healing.htm) The residential school system operated in Canada from before Confederation until the latter part of the twentieth century. Over time, there were 130 Indian residential schools across Canada, located in every province and territory except Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The residential school system grew, in part out of the missionary work of various Christian religious organisations. The Government of Canada began to play a role in the development and administration of the system as early as 1874, to meet its obligation under the Indian Act to provide an education to Aboriginal persons, as well as to further their integration into broader Canadian society. For much of their history, most residential schools were operated in partnership by various religious organizations and the federal government. In 1969, the Government assumed administrative responsibility for the school system, with religious organisations retaining a role in staffing and in the care of children for some years thereafter. Most residential schools had ceased to operate by the mid-1970s, with only seven remaining open into the 1980s. The last federally run residential school closed in Saskatchewan in 1996. Approximately 105,000 persons who attended the schools were counted at the time of the 1991 census (the only census to enquire about residential school attendance).
In recent years, many individuals have come forward with personal and painful stories of physical and sexual abuse in the residential schools. While it is not uncommon to hear some former students speak about positive experiences in these institutions, their stories must be seen in the context of disclosures of abuse, criminal convictions of perpetrators, the findings of various studies such as the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, and now the Law Commission of Canada’s report, which tell of the tragic legacy that the residential school system has left with many former students. They, and their communities, continue to deal with issues such as physical and sexual abuse, family violence, and drug and alcohol abuse.
Many Aboriginal people have decided to seek financial compensation for the harms they suffered in residential schools. As of March 2001, more than 7,200 individuals had filed civil claims for compensation against Canada and the various religious denominations that ran the schools. A number of class or representative claims have also been filed.
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