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The Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement of 2006 is a significant document that addresses the historical abuse and mistreatment of Indigenous children in Canada. The agreement was the culmination of several years of negotiation between Indigenous survivors, the Canadian government, and various churches.
The residential school system was set up in the late 1800s with the intention of assimilating Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture. Children were taken from their families and often subjected to physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and forced labour. The schools were run by various churches, including the Catholic, Anglican, United, and Presbyterian Churches, and were funded by the Canadian government.
The trauma experienced by the survivors of the residential school system has had lasting impacts on their lives and the lives of their families and communities. In recognition of this, the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement was created to provide compensation and support to survivors and their families, as well as to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Under the agreement, survivors were able to make claims for compensation for the harms they suffered while attending residential schools. The compensation included a Common Experience Payment, which provided a lump-sum payment to all eligible residential school survivors, and an Independent Assessment Process, which provided additional compensation to survivors who experienced more severe forms of abuse.
In addition to compensation, the agreement also provided for the creation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The commission was tasked with documenting the experiences of residential school survivors, promoting public awareness and understanding of the schools’ impacts, and providing recommendations for reconciliation.
The Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement was a significant step towards addressing the harms done to Indigenous children through the residential school system. While it cannot undo the trauma experienced by survivors and their families, it does provide some measure of recognition, compensation, and support.
As we continue to work towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada, it is important to acknowledge the ongoing impacts of the residential school system and to work towards healing and justice. The Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement serves as a reminder of the need to confront our history and support those who continue to be affected by it.