Canada will pay $2.8 billion in compensation for the collective damage caused by the boarding school system and the loss of language, culture and heritage.
Minister for Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller announced at a news conference in Vancouver on Saturday that the government had signed an agreement with the 325 nations involved in the class action lawsuit, the statement said.
This agreement is used to compensate survivors and descendants of boarding schools.
The $2.8 billion will be invested in a charitable foundation “to support healing, wellness, education, heritage, language and memorial activities,” it said.
The organization’s permanent board will consist of nine directors, all indigenous.
This new non-governmental organization will be guided by the four pillars developed by the applicants’ representatives: Revitalization and Protection of Indigenous Languages, Revitalization and Protection of Indigenous Cultures, Protection and Promotion of Heritage, Wellbeing of Indigenous Communities and their Members.
The agreement comes after a lawsuit filed by two First Nations people in British Columbia.