The federal government is seeking feedback on a recent multi-million dollar settlement offer to Sixties Scoop survivors.
People are gathering in Saskatoon Wednesday and Thursday to make their thoughts known on the settlement proposal, which could see individual claimants receive as much as $50,000.
Joseph Thomas Martell of the Waterhen Lake First Nation says he isn’t a Sixties Scoop survivor, but is on hand to support others who feel the process is flawed.
“I didn’t feel like it was fair because we weren’t consulted before the lawyers made their decision on making these rulings,” he says.
Cindy Hanson of Saskatoon, who is attending the meeting as an observer, says it is ridiculous to expect Sixties Scoop survivors from all over Canada to attend one hearing.
“The assumption that First Nations and Inuit people can travel on their own expense to come to Canada to these hearings is ludicrous,” she says.
A similar meeting will be held in Toronto later this month.
Sixties Scoop survivor Brian Bouvier of Ile-a-la-Crosse says he doesn’t have an opinion on the settlement proposal and is attending to gain more information.
“I am not really too familiar with it, but I heard some news yesterday and I was interested in knowing more,” he says.
The settlement proposal offers about $750 million in individual compensation to Indigenous people who were taken from their family homes between 1951 and 1991, put into foster care or made wards of the state.
It also includes $50 million that would go toward setting up a healing foundation.
It is estimated as many as 10,000 people could be affected.
(PHOTO: People line up outside a meeting on the Sixties Scoop settlement proposal in Saskatoon. Photo by Fraser Needham)