By The Canadian Press

Minister says he hopes Métis boarding school settlement will help the community heal

Mar 4, 2025 | 11:34 AM

OTTAWA — Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Tuesday he hopes a federal settlement with Métis who attended a boarding school in Saskatchewan will help them heal.

“It’s important that we recognize and give them a sense of closure, an acknowledgment that what happened to them was a failure on the part of the federal government,” Anandasangaree told The Canadian Press.

“Hopefully this will assist the remaining survivors with some confidence that their struggles were not in vain.”

The Île-à-la-Crosse boarding school operated from the 1820s to 1970 and was attended by Métis and First Nations people who reported being banned from speaking their language and being abused by staff.

The Métis Nation of Saskatchewan announced Monday it had reached an agreement in principle with the federal government to pay up to $27 million to former Île-à-la-Crosse students and $10 million to projects that address healing, education, language and culture.

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In a media release, the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan said many of the kids who attended Île-à-la-Crosse were “well under the age of 10, forbidden to see brothers and sisters attending the same school, prevented from speaking their native tongue, and coerced into learning English.”

The Île-à-la-Crosse Boarding School Steering Committee filed a lawsuit against Canada and Saskatchewan three years ago over their roles in the school.

While an agreement in principle is in place, the parties still need to draft a final agreement and put it before to the Federal Court for approval.

“It does bind a future government,” Anandasangaree said when asked whether the agreement is stable considering a federal election likely will occur sometime in the spring.

“One of the things we’ve tried to do since 2015 is address past harms with the view that we can build a better future for all.

“All of these are critical components of what we need to do as a country.”

In a statement, Métis Nation of Saskatchewan president Glen McCallum said it’s been a long journey to get to an agreement in principle but he’s proud of the work done by the steering committee.

“We would also like to recognize all of those that came before us and worked on this file over the years, as well as the many survivors that we have lost while they awaited justice. We remember them and their resilience today,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2025.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press