Sixties Scoop offer divides survivors as hearings begin
Sixties Scoop survivors unhappy with the federal government’s settlement offer will have a chance to make their voices heard in Saskatoon.
A federal judge will be in the city to listen to comments from survivors and advocates about the offer during hearings starting this morning.
The settlement proposed by the federal government allocates $750 million to Sixties Scoop survivors and their families and $50 million for foundations to help provide additional support and healing. An additional $75 million will be used to pay for the legal fees of the plaintiffs.
Robert Doucette, the co-chair of the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Saskatchewan, has said he does not agree with the offer, mainly because it does not include the Metis.
“As a Sixties Scoop survivor, I want the government to acknowledge and admit to the Metis people that what they did to First Nations and Inuit people, they did to us also. And they were wrong,” he said.
Doucette also said he wasn’t satisfied with the government’s lack of consultation with survivors and that the settlement didn’t offer compensation for physical or emotional trauma. He criticized the government and the lawyers involved in negotiating the offer as “preying on the poverty” of Indigenous people in Canada.
“They know a lot of our people are in a tight spot right now ... but I know a lot of people that don’t agree with it,” Doucette said.
Fellow Sixties Scoop survivor and University of Regina professor Raven Sinclair said she’s in support of the offer, especially the proposed healing foundation, but understands why some may not be satisfied.
“This agreement, in principle, is based upon cultural loss,” she said. “So many people say, ‘It’s not enough for the trauma I experienced,’ and I totally agree with them, but this particular settlement is not about trauma. It’s about cultural loss.”
Sinclair added that agreeing to the settlement does not mean individuals can’t pursue action against the provincial government. She noted that provincial agencies played a large part in the trauma and suffering of Sixties Scoop children.
Sinclair said it’s important that everyone who wishes to speak has the chance to be heard.
“I think it’s important that these hearings are happening ... people have a right to voice their opinion, and to make their points about whether they think this is a fair offer or not,” she said.
The hearings were originally scheduled to take place at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Saskatoon, but have been moved to conference rooms at the Radisson Hotel. The hearings will take place Thursday and Friday, starting at 10 a.m.