Conservatives back down on Ile-a-la-Crosse promise

Page 8

The writing was on the wall in the words of Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench Justice Dennis Ball who rendered his decision on the Ile-a-la-Crosse residential school on Dec. 15, but it was Jan. 18 before Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice made it official. Metis students who attended the school will not be part of the Indian residential school compensation agreement.

Prentice made the announcement despite campaign promises to the contrary made in a radio ad last year by then Conservative prime ministerial hopeful Stephen Harper.

In writing his December decision approving the residential schools agreement, Justice Ball stated that the agreement was not perfect but that compromises had to be made.

"A group of former residential school students at Ile-a-la-Crosse who are pursuing a separate proposed class action objected to being excluded from the terms of the settlement agreement. The exclusion of the Ile-a-la-Crosse group may be one of the settlement agreement's more significant imperfections," the judge wrote. "However, I accept that compromises are a reality in any settlement. I also accept this agreement represents the best that could be achieved for the greatest number of class members; indeed, reaching agreement has been a remarkable achievement for which all parties deserve a great deal of credit."

Gary Merasty, a former Saskatchewan First Nation chief who is now the Liberal Member of Parliament for Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River, tore into the Conservative government for back tracking on the promises made in the radio ad which ran in Northern Saskatchewan. Harper had stated, ". . . a Conservative government in Ottawa would address issues important to Aboriginal people, including full compensation for residential school survivors, including those who attended the Ile-a-la-Crosse school."

But Prentice told the CBC, "[t]he full knowledge of facts that we have today, confirm that the (Ile-a-la-Crosse) school doesn't qualify. . . . The ad takes a different assumption that was in error and that's unfortunate, but when one knows the facts of the school, it simply doesn't qualify under the agreement, and . . . that full knowledge wasn't available at the time that the ad was run."

Merasty seized on the word "unfortunate" as he blistered the government's decision.

"What is really 'unfortunate' is that the Conservatives keep breaking their promises. They made a specific pledge to compensate survivors of abuse, people who were taken from their homes and parents and stripped of their culture, heritage and language. It is even more disgusting that their excuse to not honor the promise seems to be is that they were too incompetent or too lazy as to have not figured out what they were talking about."

Clearly gearing up for an election call in the near future, Merasty pulled no punches.

"They misled people the same as they did with promises to give immediate compensation to Aboriginal veterans. They are showing they will do anything to win votes, and to do this, to make promises to Elders and then claim they did not know what they were talking about, is despicable," he said. "

Clement Chartier, president of the Metis National Council, said he was disappointed that government would not follow through on its election commitment. He noted that the residential school was attended by a significant number of Metis students from throughout Northern Saskatchewan.

"This new development is extremely disheartening for Metis students who attended the Ile-a-la-Crosse Residential School and who believed they were finally going to be compensated for the abuse and suffering they endured at the school. In light of this unfortunate error, I am hopeful the Conservative government will commit to working with the Metis of Northern Saskatchewan in order to develop a distinct compensation package for the students of the Ile-a-la-Crosse Residential School," Chartier said.

Chartier said he hopes to meet with Prentice in the nea future to discuss the matter.