Regina Lawyer Tony Merchant. Photo courtesy of merchantlaw.com
Regina Lawyer Tony Merchant says a settlement in the Sixties Scoop could come as early as this fall.
He was reacting to news from Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister, Carolyn Bennett, who announced Wednesday the government wants to negotiate claims rather than fight them in court.
Merchant says the announcement follows some private meetings between lawyers involved in pursuing class action lawsuits and federal officials.
“We have already been in meetings, but they were to be kept absolutely quiet and not to be communicated to anyone,” he said. “But now, they are coming out in the open and saying regarding Sixties Scoop, we tentatively acknowledge that we have been wrong.”
Merchant says several hurdles have yet to be overcome. He says the federal government wants to compensate victims only for loss of culture, but Merchant says damages should be awarded based on what happened to the individual including sexual abuse.
He also says the provinces, which were actively a part of the Sixties Scoop, must be part of the settlement.
“It was the provincial government that went on reserves, or went to Ile-a-la-Crosse and picked up the children, and the provincial government is just as responsible as the federal government,” he said.
The Merchant Law Group represents thousands of clients right across the country, however its lawsuit has not yet been certified.
Other class action lawsuits are in the works in Manitoba, B.C. and Ontario.