The Nishnawbe Aski Nation is welcoming the announcement of a settlement between the federal government and Indigenous people affected by the Sixties Scoop.
Thousands of Indigenous children were taken from their families and placed in non-Indigenous households between 1964 and 1985.
The settlement announced Friday—payouts of up to $750 million in total—is intended to resolve various lawsuits that accused the federal government of robbing Indigenous children of their cultural identity.
One of the class action suits was led by Beaverhouse First Nation Chief Marcia Brown Martel.
In a statement, NAN Deputy Grand Chief Anna Betty Achneepineskum said "We acknowledge today's announcement and our prayers are with Chief Brown Martel and all Sixties Scoop survivors. This has been a long and difficult journey for these plaintiffs, and we are pleased that the Government of Canada has finally been held accountable for the devastating legacy of the Sixties Scoop."
Achneepineskum added that it is "reprehensible" that Ottawa dragged the process through the courts for close to a decade.
Speaking of the plaintiffs, she said "Nothing can compensate for their lost childhood and connection to their culture, but we pray this settlement will help" them, and all Canadians, on the journey towards healing and reconciliation.
An estimated 16,000 aboriginal children in Ontario, including members of NAN communities, were relocated to other communities (mostly non-native) during the Sixties Scoop.
