The federal government has to Indigenous children who were taken from their families starting in the 1960s and placed into foster care or adopted into non-Indigenous families.
The 鈥�60s Scoop swept up tens of thousands of Indigenous babies and children across Canada and lasted up until 1985. The policy prompted lawsuits across the country, and in February, the Ontario Superior Court found that the government was liable for harm to the survivors.
On top of the $750 million in compensation, Ottawa has pledged $50 million for a healing foundation aimed at helping Indigenous families heal and $75 million for legal fees.
But some 鈥�60s Scoop survivors aren鈥檛 convinced that the federal government鈥檚 settlement goes far enough.
An isolated childhood
Raven Sinclair was four years old when she and her eight siblings were taken from their mother. It鈥檚 a day she remembers 鈥渓ike it was yesterday.鈥�
They were all put into foster care, and some -- including Sinclair -- were adopted by non-Indigenous families. She spent her youth between Ontario, Saskatchewan and Germany. All the while, she knew nothing about her ancestry.
鈥淚 was raised to believe that I was Metis and French Metis. That鈥檚 the only information that my adoptive parents had. I have since found out that I am status Cree and Scottish,鈥� she told CTV鈥檚 News Channel.
Sinclair recognizes that her adoptive home brought certain 鈥渕aterial advantages,鈥� but it came at a price.
鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a day that went by that I didn鈥檛 experience racism, discrimination, bullying, ostracism,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 see another Indigenous person until I was about 15.鈥�
Two of her brothers were paired in a home together, but Sinclair was placed alone. She said the lack of understanding of her past led to years feeling isolated.
Sinclair grew up to become a social work professor at the University of Regina, and her research involves exploring the stories of others swept up in the 鈥�60s Scoop.
Sinclair spotted a common thread in those stories: many survivors grew up thinking they were alone in their experience.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 so isolated we were. There鈥檚 20,000, 30,000 of us who thought we were the only ones who this happened to. And the loss of family, community, culture, language -- there is no measure for it. It has altered our lives permanently and so many of us are struggling still.鈥�
Researching those stories has convinced Sinclair that the federal government鈥檚 $750 million deal is 鈥渧ery low.鈥�
鈥淭hat settlement is based on an estimate of 20,000 survivors. So if that were divided up, it would amount to about $37,000 per survivor,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I look at some of the stories that I鈥檝e had the chance to witness, I鈥檓 not convinced that is an adequate compensation for those people.鈥�
However, Sinclair says she is happy about the government鈥檚 $50 million commitment for a healing foundation.
鈥淚 think that programs and services and interventions to help people to deal with the psychological and emotional trauma of what happened to them and maybe to recover language and culture, those are really good things, and I think those will have a beneficial impact in the future.鈥�
Living with a 鈥榗risis of identity鈥�
Colleen Cardinal was a baby when she and two older sisters were taken from her family in 1972, and placed in a non-Indigenous home in Ontario. Cardinal says that, after years of physical and sexual abuse, she ran away as a teenager.
鈥淲e were brought into a middle-class, upper-middle-class white home. We had lots of opportunities, but behind closed doors it was very traumatic for my sisters and I,鈥� she said.
After she left, Cardinal was reunited with her parents. But she still lived with a 鈥渃risis of identity.鈥�
鈥淚 spent probably most of my life trying to be white so I could fit in,鈥� she said.
It wasn鈥檛 until she attended college, in 2002, that Cardinal first learned about the 鈥�60s Scoop and how many other Indigenous children were taken from their homes.
鈥淲hen I found out there were over 20,000 other people out there like me, I wanted to find them,鈥� she said.
She has since co-founded the National Indigenous Survivors of Child Welfare Network. Cardinal said she鈥檚 鈥渁 little bit disappointed鈥� by the government鈥檚 $750 million announcement.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what amount of number would be adequate. You can鈥檛 buy back culture and wellness. But I would like to that think the crimes that have been committed against Indigenous children are worth a little bit more,鈥� she said.
鈥楬ow do you measure the trauma?鈥�
Margaret Murray, who goes by her spirit name Nakuset, was taken from her family in Saskatchewan as a child. She has since reunited with her mother 鈥� a survivor of the residential school system 鈥� but says that being with her biological family can be 鈥渟tressful.鈥�
鈥淲hen I go to my community, everybody speaks Cree. So right away, there鈥檚 a language barrier,鈥� she told 麻豆影视 Channel. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know really know how to live off the land. There are years and years and years of lost family moments.鈥�
Now the executive director of the Native Women鈥檚 Shelter of Montreal, Murray described Bennett鈥檚 announcement as 鈥渙verwhelming鈥� and said the federal government is now in the difficult position of deciding how much money survivors are entitled to.
鈥淗ow do you measure the trauma? How do you measure how much people are going to be receiving for the abuse that they may or may not have endured 鈥� and also for losing your culture and your family and your language,鈥� she said.
The most important step for moving forward, Murray said, is educating Canadians on what happened to those children.
鈥淧eople need to know about how the history of government policies have impacted us and how we are trying to survive society today,鈥� she said.
鈥淧eople really don鈥檛 have a true understanding as to why some of us struggle.鈥�
With files from The Canadian Press
