The purpose of the schools, established by the federal government in the 1800s, was to assimilate aboriginal youngsters into broader Canadian society. They were removed from their homes, lodged in the schools and forbidden to use their own language or engage in their spiritual beliefs or other cultural practices. Some of them were also physically or sexually abused. Shawn Tupper, director of the residential-schools unit of the Department of Indian Affairs, said yesterday that cabinet discussions have yet to get down to the details of how much the government might be willing to absorb. Until we get more idea of what the capacity of the churches is to pay, anything is possible.
Nothing's off the table.
Key to the proposal before cabinet is a plan to further promote alternatives to litigation. Mr. Tupper said some natives have expressed interest in forms of compensation beyond money. Spokesmen for the three main churches involved hesitated to respond publicly yesterday to the proposal without seeing details. This last is of critical significance to the Anglicans and Roman Catholics, both of which say they are decentralized structures with disparate parts legally insulated from one another, something which neither the courts nor the federal government have agreed on. Perhaps most important, the churches want what they call a public-policy response from Ottawa.