Feds announce $800 million payout to Indigenous victims of ’60s Scoop
Posted October 6, 2017 7:09 am.
Last Updated October 6, 2017 12:38 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – The federal government has announced a $800-million deal aimed at closing a dark chapter in Canadian history.
It has agreed to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to survivors of the ’60s Scoop for the harm suffered by Indigenous children who were robbed of their cultural identities by being placed with non-native families.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett announced the agreement this morning in Ottawa.
“As part of the agreement in principle, the government is investing $50 million to establish a foundation for healing and to provide the opportunities to acquire the language and culture for those for whom it was stolen.”
But Bennett adds money can only do so much. “When we talk gently about inter-generational trauma and all those things, we have no idea the damage that they have lived in their lives, not being able to be proud, Indigenous people.”
The national settlement with an estimated 20,000 victims is aimed at resolving numerous related lawsuits, most notable among them a successful class action in Ontario.
Details of the agreement include a payout of up to $50,000 for each claimant.
