Ottawa proposes settlement with residential school day scholars
The federal government announced Wednesday a proposed settlement agreement with residential school day scholars that would provide compensation to survivors and their families.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett said each eligible survivor would receive $10,000. Their children would also have access to support through a new $50 million Indigenous-led not-for-profit fund dubbed the Day Scholar Revitalization Society.
“While many Canadians are aware of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, few are aware that not all survivors of residential schools could receive compensation under that agreement. The day scholars, those who attended a residential school during the day, but returned home at night could seek compensation for physical and sexual abuse suffered on the school premises but unlike residents, they were not eligible to receive compensation for the experience,” she said.
Those who attended residential schools during the day or for part of the year were left out of the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, which compensates individuals who attended the institutions full time.
Since then, they’ve been pushing for legal recognition of the damages caused by their experiences there.
Bennett said the agreement is signed but is awaiting court approval – to be determined on September 7 – and that between now and August, residential school day scholars will be able to provide feedback to the court.
A representative from the class-action lawsuit speaking at the news conference reflected on her time spent as a day scholar.
“These years were the dark ages of my life,” said Diena Jules, who attended the Kamloops, B.C., residential school. “The other children and I were physically and verbally abused for speaking our native languages… they called me a pagan and a dumb Indian and told me that I needed to become more white.”
She said she became ashamed of her culture and that she didn’t feel she belonged with her community.
“I have worked hard to recover my sense of self-worth, my connection to my community,” she said. “I am proud that we stood up for ourselves and for our people and that now after many years, our experiences are being recognized and compensated.”
She added that while the settlement brings relief, no compensation can account for the legacy of the residential school system.
Bennett noted this as well, and said she hopes the new fund will bring about long-term healing, education, wellness, and commemoration.
On Monday, members of Parliament voted unanimously to urge the Liberals to halt their appeals of Canadian Human Rights Tribunal orders that would require the government to compensate children taken into an under-resourced child-welfare system and broaden the applicability of Jordan's Principle.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet abstained from the vote, drawing criticism from opposition politicians and Indigenous activists for not following through on their commitment to reconciliation.
In an statement to CTVNews.ca in response to the announcement on Wednesday, Jamie Schmale, Conservative Crown-Indigenous relations critic said the party is “pleased” with the settlement proposal but “the work cannot end here.”
“That’s why we are calling for the Liberal government to implement our calls for immediate, needed action - including the development of a comprehensive plan to implement calls to action 71 through 76, as recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada, by July 1, 2021.”
The Liberals have maintained that TRC calls to action 71 through 76, regarding what needs to be done to address the missing children and unmarked graves at residential schools, are nearing completion.
The NDP are now calling on the federal government to label the experiences at residential schools a “genocide,” which will be articulated in a motion tabled in the House of Commons on Thursday.
"There is no reconciliation without truth. And what happened in residential school was clearly an act of genocide, with impacts that reverberate (in) our families' community today," said MP Leah Gazan.
---
If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
Correction
Correction: A previous version of this story said the settlement was an extension of the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
Local Spotlight
DonAir force takes over at Oilers playoff games
As if a 4-0 Edmonton Oilers lead in Game 1 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings wasn't good enough, what was announced at Rogers Place during the next TV timeout nearly blew the roof off the downtown arena.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fergus, Ont. man feels nickel-and-dimed for $0.05 property tax bill
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
'I'm committed': Oilers fan won't cut hair until Stanley Cup comes to Edmonton
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
'It's not my father's body!' Wrong man sent home after death on family vacation in Cuba
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
'Once is too many times': Education assistants facing rising violence in classrooms
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
What is capital gains tax? How is it going to affect the economy and the younger generations?
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”