Question Period Note: Gottfriedson

Gottfriedson
• The Federal Court has approved the settlement in the Gottfriedson Indian Residential Schools Day Scholar class action.
• The settlement provides $10,000 in compensation to each eligible Survivor class member.
• The settlement also includes $50 million to establish the Day Scholars Revitalization Society that will help support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, heritage and commemoration for Survivors and Descendants.

N/A

Legal Fees
• Canada has agreed to pay future legal fees to class counsel with the condition that they will not attempt to seek additional fees from payments made to class members.

If pressed on the Band Class
• The Government of Canada is working towards righting past wrongs. Canada deeply regrets trauma experienced by Day Scholars and is committed to justice and healing for survivors.
• Through ongoing discussions, Canada determined that the issues surrounding the Band class represented a challenge to moving resolution discussions with the Survivor and Descendent classes.
• The parties agreed to focus efforts on settling the claims of the aging Survivor class members and Descendent class members.

If pressed on an Apology
• Survivors and their Descendants have told us that an important part of healing and moving forward includes a meaningful official apology on behalf of the Government of Canada.
• We have heard survivors, and will be working with them on this request.

If pressed on the Amended Statement of Defence
• In April 2019, the Government of Canada filed its Amended Statement of Defence. The Defence aligned with the Attorney General of Canada’s Directive on Civil Litigation Involving Indigenous Peoples and is reflective of the Government of Canada commitment to reconciliation.
• The Defence includes numerous admissions by the Government of Canada of the harms associated with the operation of Indian Residential Schools and the effect on Indigenous peoples in Canada.