Photo courtesy metisnation.ca
A long-awaited meeting between the federal government and former Ile-a-la-Crosse boarding school students has been postponed until September.
Last week, organizers with the student committee and the Metis National Council were spreading the word about a July 15 meeting with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett.
But now, committee chair Jim Durocher says they’ll be waiting until September to make a case for compensation. Students who attended Ile-a-la-Crosse were denied compensation during the Residential School Settlement process, because the school was funded by the Roman Catholic Church and not the federal government.
Durocher got a call from Bennett’s office on Monday afternoon, and he said they are apologetic that her busy schedule can’t accomodate a July meeting and will reschedule for early September. He too is apologizing for the changes, but added that “things sometimes are beyond our control, certainly beyond my control.”
Since being elected, Bennett has said she wants to address any outstanding issues with First Nations and Metis people who endured abuse and loss of culture at boarding or residential schools.
The Metis National Council’s Clement Chartier has been putting pressure on Bennett’s office to follow through on those commitments.
In Durocher’s view, that commitment is still there.
“I am absolutely, totally, 100 per cent confident that this government and this minister Bennett is determined to deal with this issue, to listen to the people that were affected – the survivors – and wants to hear their stories,” he said.
As it stood, the July 15 meeting would have interfered with Back to Batoche and the Lac St. Anne pilgrimage. As such, the new meeting date could end up being a “blessing in disguise,” Durocher said. He added that Ile-a-la-Crosse mayor Duane Favel is looking at it that way as well.
In an online group for Ile-a-la-Crosse’s former students and family members, people have expressed impatience with how information is being shared. The possibility of getting help to transport people to the meeting has also come up.
Durocher said they’re hoping to hold an organizational meeting for the students between now and September.
MBC has been in communication with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada since last week. To date, the office has not confirmed any of the meetings.
According to Durocher and Clement, Bennett’s visit to Ile-a-la-Crosse had initially been set to coincide with a visit to La Loche.