The Canadian government announced on Saturday January 21 an agreement with 325 indigenous communities to compensate them up to 2.8 billion Canadian dollars (about 2.1 billion USD) for abuses suffered between the end of the 19th century and the 1990s.
"
Canada is committed to repairing the collective harm caused by the residential school system and the loss of language, culture and heritage
," the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations said in a statement.
Read alsoIndigenous people: Canada facing the shadows of its past
For nearly a century, some 150,000 indigenous children were forcibly enrolled in 139 boarding schools, often run by the Catholic Church, across the country, where they were cut off from their families, language and culture.
Thousands never came back.
The record sum announced on Saturday aims to compensate these 325 communities in Western Canada for "
revitalizing Indigenous education, culture and language in order to support survivors in their process of healing and reconnecting with their heritage
", according to the official statement.
"Genocide"
For nearly two years, this dark colonial past has resurfaced as children's graves have been discovered near these institutions where Aboriginal children were forcibly enrolled.
Already more than 1300 graves have been identified, the most recent ten days ago.
"
Canada has taken far too long to come to terms with its history, come to terms with the genocide it committed and recognize the collective harm done to our Nations by the residential school system
," said Garry Feschuk, former Chief of the Nation shishalh and one of the instigators of this class action, believing that "
this settlement is a first step in the right direction
".
Read alsoCanada: the Catholic Church will pay $30 million to residential school survivors
"
All survivors deserve justice and compensation
," said Marc Miller, federal Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.
The precise terms for the disbursement of these 2.8 billion Canadian dollars will be decided by the Federal Court on February 27.
A national commission of inquiry in 2015 described this system of boarding schools as “
cultural genocide
”.
SEE ALSO
- Boarding schools: the pope "ask forgiveness" from the natives
