The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) executive has accused the Catholic Church and its legal counsel of allegedly neglecting its duty to provide compensation to survivors of residential schools.
The FSIN, in a statement, said court documents that were leaked to the media on Thursday showed the millions of dollars in compensation Indian Residential School survivors were to receive was spent elsewhere.
SASKTODAY.ca has yet to acquire the said documents. We also asked for comments from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon and the office of the Most Rev. Bishop Mark Hagemoen, but they had yet to respond at press time.
The FSIN says the Catholic Church allegedly used money from the Indian Residential School Survivor (IRRS) Settlement Agreement for other purposes including more than $1.8 million in unapproved loans to their own private fundraising company, another $2.3 million for administrative costs, and $2.7 million as payment to their own lawyers who are board members of the said organization.
FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron denounced the conduct of the Catholic Church.
“Our people firmly believe in ‘Pāstāhowin’ which our elders taught us means that you’re overstepping the Creators’ law and any evil you do, will come back to you. Even after the last residential school closed in this country, the Catholic Church continues to harm First Nations survivors by its conduct.”
He said, “Now more than ever, it is essential that we hold all those responsible for the maltreatment of First Nations people accountable, and to ensure that our people who have already survived through so much at the hands of the Catholic Church receive justice and closure. We will explore every legal avenue possible to ensure that our survivors receive the funding and compensation they were promised.”
The FSIN is hoping the proper authorities investigate further the alleged misconduct by the Catholic Church and its legal counsel. FSIN is hoping to make sure that answers can be provided for the alleged offence and that the perpetrators are held accountable.
