Meanwhile, some Roman Catholic dioceses and religious orders are in peril, and the United Church of Canada is facing similar, if not immediate, financial ruin. And no one seems to care. In fact, most of the commentary about the slew of litigation that has resulted from abuse at native residential schools seems to run along the lines that the churches deserve to go belly-up. Former students have claimed they suffered severe physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the schools.
Some lawsuits also allege cultural genocide.
An interesting defense offered by the Catholic Archbishop of Halifax, Terrence Prendergast , is that some of the discipline meted out at native residential schools was no worse than at white boarding schools. He said white children got the strap too in his day, but shrugged it off as part of their culture. 6,200 people have already sued. The figure could reach 10,000 if the courts accept seven class-action suits now pending. The churches are named by the government as co-defendants in virtually every claim, prompting them to send delegations to Ottawa to ask parliamentarians to consider ways to avert what they say is certain bankruptcy.