Boarding School Survivors May Get Separate Deal

Boarding School Survivors May Get Separate Deal

Friday, June 13, 2008 at 13:40

 

 

A Metis activist reports solid gains were made at a recent meeting in Ottawa over the Ile-a-la-Crosse boarding school issue.

 

Don Favel and a handful of other Metis leaders sat down on Wednesday night with Desnethe-Missinippi Churchill River MP Rob Clarke.

 

Favel says Clarke was receptive to their requests to have boarding school survivors included in compensation payments by the government.

 

He notes the politician has provided two researchers to gather documentation from the national archives for the Metis to use.

 

Favel says, at this point, there are two options for the boarding school survivors to explore.

 

One would be for them to get included on the list of institutions eligible for settlement — which, so far, they’ve been unable to make happen.

 

The second scenario would see Ottawa agree to a separate compensation process for survivors of institutions like the one in Ile-a-la-Crosse.

 

He says it might be easier to get that separate arrangement than to find their way onto the existing one — because they would have to get the blessing of all the groups that signed off on the original deal.

 

Favel says the next step is to sit down with the province, Ottawa and the local Roman Catholic archdiocese and get feedback from them about the two options.