Press Release
The Grand Council Treaty #3 is undertaking a comprehensive initiative with the Treaty #3 Residential School Survivors Support Program.
The project will have the capacity and flexibility to meet the diverse needs of a potentially-large number of former Indian residential school students in a variety of Treaty #3 locations.
The Treaty #3 Residential School Survivors Support Program will support Indian Residential Schools (IRS) claimants and their families to ensure they have access to an appropriate level of emotional support.
The support will be in a safe and supportive environment to ensure that their spiritual, emotional, and cultural needs are met.
To achieve this important objective, an outreach team consisting of two IRS support workers will work in unison with elders who provide traditional support contributing to the IRS survivor’s holistic long-term healing.
The IRS support workers will support the survivors throughout the process by attending hearings, proceedings, and commemorative events related to the IRS settlement process, and ensure they are aware of the Independent Assessment Process (IAP), Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or litigation process, and how to access financial support.
On June 11, 2008, the Government of Canada offered its historic apology to the country’s aboriginal peoples for one of Canada’s worst mistakes—the 150-year-old residential schools experiment.
The long-awaited apology is considered an affirmation of aboriginal peoples entitlement to full civil, economic, social, and cultural rights, and the first step towards true reconciliation and healing.
There are roughly 24,000 former students and their immediate family members living in the Treaty #3 area.
In addition, currently in Canada, there are more than one million aboriginal people, with over one-third having been affected by residential school experiences or indirectly as family community members linked to survivors.
There has been significant movement over the years back towards Anishinaabe Nationhood by the 28 member communities of Treaty #3. This is despite the efforts of Canada’s assimilation policies.
The injuries inflicted by the Canadian policy to “kill the Indian in the child” is still felt today by the Indian Residential School survivors and their families.
If you know of someone needing support for the Indian Residential School experience, contact the Grand Council Treaty #3.
