Legacy of Hope Foundation Applauds the Federal Government’s Announcement to Settle with Survivors of Day Schools

(Ottawa, ON) March 25, 2019 – The Legacy of Hope Foundation applauds the recent use of negotiation by the Federal Government to settle a class-action lawsuit for former Indigenous students of Day Schools instead of attempting to resolve it by litigation. This class-action lawsuit was launched by the Indigenous Peoples (and their families) who attended these Day Schools and suffered harms and traumas as a result. Currently, the negotiated settlement is still only proposed and is awaiting ratification from the courts.

The negotiated Settlement also includes funding for projects that support the healing and wellness of class members as well as their communities, including initiatives such as education, language, culture, and commemoration. The Legacy of Hope Foundation encourages project funding that supports cultural revitalization and targets both individuals and communities.

A vital part of the healing process for Indigenous Peoples is the revitalization of their cultures, including their Indigenous languages, teachings, spirituality, and holistic health and well-being. The goal of these schools was to remove a way of living and being from an entire Peoples by targeting their children. Now, in response, we need Initiatives and community supports that address more than the individual attendees but also their families and communities to make a serious effort to heal from the damage and rebuild connections.

In the future, the Legacy of Hope Foundation would like to see the Federal Government use more negotiated Settlements over litigation, and to ensure that they address the harms done not only to individuals but the impacts they had on the whole community. Day Schools, like the Residential School System, were run with the goal of colonizing students and separating them from their language, culture, and spiritual identity. Additionally, like the Residential School System, many students at Day Schools also experienced abuses, including physical and sexual abuse. These schools were also run by the Federal Government and administered by the Churches. Former students continue to struggle with the complex traumas inflected on them while in the care of those who were supposed to protect and nurture them. This is a trauma that is carried by former students, their families, and their communities. Such harms require a great deal of support, treatment, and cultural revitalization to help individuals and their families not only survive but learn to thrive again.

The details of the proposed settlement include:

Compensations of $10,000 for Indigenous Peoples who experienced harms while attending federally-run Indigenous Day Schools and compensation of $50,000 to $200,000 for Indigenous Peoples who suffered physical and sexual abuse while in the care of these schools; and

An additional investment of $200 million to be given to the McLean Day School Settlement Corporation. These funds will be used to support additional Projects – initiatives such as the healing, wellness, education, language, and culture, as well as commemoration in support of class members as well as their communities.

Media Contact Information:
Teresa Edwards, B.A. JD., Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Phone: 613-237-4806 Ext. 303 info@legacyofhope.ca