FSIN chief optimistic there will be Sixties Scoop compensation

Cameron vows to continue pursuing idea despite provincial government’s rejection

Despite being told no by the provincial government, Chief Bobby Cameron said he is staying positive about his suggestion Saskatchewan should pony up more than $200 million to Sixties Scoop survivors.

“To me, this is a matter of healing, and how that healing journey is for the survivors, whether that’s compensation or not, we support,” the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) chief said Friday.

Cameron suggested the province pay out between $200 million and $400 million to victims of the Sixties Scoop, a process that removed First Nations and Metis children from their families and placed them with non-Indigenous homes.

Premier Brad Wall announced in 2015 that the province would apologize for the role it played in the Sixties Scoop. An apology has still not come and the premier is not confident it will happen before he steps down from his role at the end of January.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Wall said offering compensation is “not where we started with the apology” and doing so now is “not something the government is going to be doing, but we would still like to go ahead with (the apology).”

Cameron said FSIN visits a lot of First Nations communities where he meets survivors.

“They’ll just come up and speak to us and say, ‘Here’s our thoughts, here’s our opinions,’ ” he said.

“They’re now coming out and telling their stories, and that’s what we want.”

Cameron maintained it is his experience that many survivors do want compensation, though some have suggested that is not the answer. FSIN vice-chief Heather Bear said Thursday the Indigenous community should concentrate on its compensation negotiations with the federal government.

“You see what it did?” Cameron asked, referring to his comments about compensation. “It started discussion, and that’s good.”

When asked whether the decision to suggest compensation was one made by the entire FSIN executive, Cameron said: “It’s a suggestion. It doesn’t matter if it’s coming from the executive or any elected leader.”

“We’ve got to remain optimistic,” Cameron said, when asked about whether he would continue to pursue compensation for survivors despite Wall’s firm stance.