MAY 8, 2006

CANADA ANNOUNCES INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL SETTLEMENT

The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) is an agreement between the government of Canada and approximately 86,000 Indigenous peoples in Canada who, at some point, were enrolled as children in the Canadian Indian residential school system, a system which was in place between 1879 and 1997. The IRSSA recognized the damage inflicted by the residential schools and established a C$1.9-billion compensation package called CEP (Common Experience Payment) for all former Indian Residential School (IRS) students. The agreement, announced in 2006, was the largest class action settlement in Canadian history. As of March 2016, a total of C$1,622,422,106 has been paid to 79,309 former students. An additional C$3.18 billion has been paid out to 31,103 former students as of March 31, 2019, through IAPs (Independent Assessment Process) which are for damages suffered beyond the norm for the IRS.

Sources: 

“Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement,” The Canadian Encyclopedia.  Retrieved 10/24/2023, Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Wikipedia

Photo:  Author unknown, circa 1885.  Qu'Appelle Indian Industrial School, Saskatchewan. Public Domain.