Residential schools' legacy chaos

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Pikiskwe

This week the Supreme Court of British Columbia stayed charges to two counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault against Bishop Hubert O'Connor for acts allegedly committed at an Indian residential school. I believe the effect of this ruling will be devastating not only for the Bishop's victims but also for the countless others who were assaulted at these schools.

The Indian residential school experience has left our communities in chaos. The schools operated from the 1890s to the 1970s. There were allegations of sexual, physical and emotional abuse at various schools. The B.C. case against Bishop O'Connor was the first case with victims of an assault at an Indian residential school laying charges against the perpetrator.

Because of the ruling, it may be perceived by the other victims that there will be no justice for them in the Canadian courts because they are Native.

This particularly rings true when you consider the uproar that resulted because of the allegations of abuse at two schools run by the Christian Brothers order. There, charges were laid, the guilty were punished and compensation will be given. It is expected that a total of $16 million could be paid to 300 victims. In addition, the non-Native victims will receive counselling, medical assistance and apologies.

What about the victims of St. Joseph Indian Residential school, and the countless other victims of Indian residential school assaults?

It is my hope that other victims will not be deterred from bringing charges against those who are guilty. I would like to see an organized effort like those who were victims of the Christian Brothers order. I would like to see compensation paid to our communities because of the damage these schools did to our families, our governments, our communities.

The lawyer who represented the 400 victims from two schools run by the Christian Brothers said out of the $16 million, one-third will be paid by the Ontario government, the remaining to be paid by the Catholic church. The provincial government portion will be paid because these children were wards of the province when they attended the schools.

It is important to our children and ourselves to point to those institutions that undermined our integrity as a people. We must give our children the reasons for the alcoholism and the other social ills that plague our communities. I believe one major reason was the abuse hurled at our grandparents, our parents and ourselves at these schools.

We live in an age where our treaty rights are being undermined. Medical benefits based on treaty rights are being questioned. More importantly, the Department of Indian Affairs is slowly being dismantled - the bad guy is packing up and leaving town.

It is my hope that the survivors of these schools begin to organize for compensation based on damages suffered at these schools. And I hope they receive compensation packages similar to those given to the survivors of the Christian Brothers' schools in Ontario and at Mount Cashell.