First Nations leaders voice support for $2.8B federal agreement to settle lawsuit on residential schools

First Nations leaders are voicing their formal support in Federal Court for a $2.8-billion settlement agreement to a class-action residential schools lawsuit.

Former Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc chief Shane Gottfriedson told the Federal Court judge in Vancouver that reaching the settlement with the federal government "means everything" to him.

Gottfriedson said it was "about time Canada steps aside" and lets First Nations themselves decide how to mitigate the harms done by residential schools.

He and former shíshálh Nation chief Garry Feschuk launched the lawsuit more than a decade ago to seek justice and reparations for day scholars abused while attending residential schools.

Day scholars are survivors who were forced to attend the institutions during the day but went home at night and were left out of the 2006 residential schools settlement.

$2.8B federal agreement reached January

First Nations leaders and the federal government announced the $2.8-billion agreement in January to settle the legal action for plaintiffs representing 325 nations seeking to address the harms done to their members by the residential school program.

As part of the agreement, the First Nations plaintiffs agreed to "fully, finally and forever" release the Crown from claims that could conceivably arise from the collective harms residential schools inflicted on First Nations, as alleged in a previous court filing.

This legal release would not cover or include any claims that may arise over children who died or disappeared while being forced to attend residential school, the agreement says.

The settlement is expected to be approved after the hearing's conclusion this week, followed by an appeal period before the money is transferred to a not-for-profit trust managed by Indigenous leaders.

More details of how funds will be disbursed are expected in the months to come. Under the agreement, there will be an initial payment of $200,000 to all 325 First Nations, which will allow them all to create a 10-year plan for how they want to revitalize their language and culture.