Editor’s note: When this story was first published it referred to the “so-called” ’60s Scoop. Global News has since replaced “so-called” with “what’s known as” to better reflect our intent.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley will formally apologize to all Indigenous people impacted by what’s known as the ’60s Scoop later this month.
It will take place on May 28 at the legislature.
“This will truly be a historic day for all survivors in Alberta and across Canada when the government acknowledges that this was a dark chapter in Alberta’s history,” said Adam North Peigan, president of the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Alberta.
READ MORE: ’60s Scoop settlement ‘first step’ in reconciliation with Indigenous victims: Bennett
As the residential schools started to close, the federal government initiated another policy dubbed “The ’60s Scoop.”
Through the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, social workers removed Indigenous children from their reserve homes placing them with non-Indigenous foster families.
READ MORE: Alberta ’60s Scoop survivors say settlement a good start, but some families still torn apart
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It’s estimated there are over 20,000 survivors of the scoop. They’re being encouraged to engage in sessions across Alberta to share their stories.
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The provincial government is preparing to give them a long-awaited acknowledgement of the truth. Indigenous Relations Minister, Richard Feehan has been working alongside the ’60s Scoop Indigenous Society of Alberta.
READ MORE: What was the ‘60s Scoop’? Aboriginal children taken from homes a dark chapter in Canada’s history
Last October, the federal government agreed to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to survivors of the ’60s Scoop for the harm suffered by Indigenous children who were robbed of their cultural identities by being placed with non-Indigenous families.
The national settlement with an estimated 20,000 victims is aimed at resolving numerous related lawsuits, most notable among them a successful class action in Ontario.
Confidential details of the agreement include a payout of between $25,000 and $50,000 for each claimant, to a maximum of $750 million, sources told The Canadian Press.
READ MORE: Survivors of the ’60s Scoop await long overdue apology
An agreement in principle has been conditionally approved by the Federal Court of Canada subject to the outcome of the Ontario court hearings at the end of May 2018. The agreement
will provide compensation for ’60s Scoop survivors, including First Nation and Inuit.
The decision by the federal court is subject to a 30-day appeal process. Survivors will not receive any compensation payments until the appeal process has been completed.
Watch below: Global News journalists Jill Croteau and Nate Luit join Global News Morning to discuss the most recent episode of their podcast Off Script on 770 CHQR. The podcast features the story of the ‘60s Scoop survivors and the recent effort by the province to use their stories to help shape a meaningful apology.
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