A number of rallies took place across the country Friday in show of solidarity with survivors of the ’60s Scoop.
About 100 people gathered in downtown Saskatoon.
Survivors spoke about their experiences and opposition to an $800,000,000 class-action settlement that excludes Métis and non-status survivors.
National Indigenous Survivors of Child Welfare Network organized the cross-Canada rallies and said their message is not just about financial compensation.
“We’re looking for a process to heal and tell our story. If compensation happens fine, if it doesn’t that’s another matter,” Robert Doucette, former president of Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, said at the Saskatoon rally.
“The main thing is we want people to understand what happened and show empathy.”
During the ’60s scoop, the federal government took an estimated 20,000 Indigenous children from their homes and placed them with non-Indigenous foster families across Canada and beyond.