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Re: Canada's Disgraceful Sixties FORCED Adoption Prog>Survivors Unhappy By Court Deci
Canada's Disgraceful Sixties Scoop Adoption Prog. >Survivors Unhappy @ $875M Offer By Court..
Parents Lost Their Children. Children Lost Their Parents..> Justice was Not Served..
Hearing in Saskatoon saw more than 100 survivors testify
CBC News. Updated 6 Jun, 2018
An $875-million settlement for survivors of the Sixties Scoop has been approved, following an emotional two-day hearing in Saskatoon.
Federal Court Judge Michel Shore said he had exhaustively studied submissions for the settlement for the past year, which includes $750 million for the estimated 20,000 survivors, $50 million for a foundation and $75 million for lawyers' fees.
"I'm very pleased.... I think it's the right direction for Canada," said lawyer Tony Merchant, who represents 5,000 survivors.
However, the decision didn't sit well with many survivors who had come from across North America to testify. They say the outcome seemed pre-determined.
They noted Shore made multiple references promoting the settlement and its foundation during the hearing. They railed against the three-minute time limit they were given to testify. And Shore's decision issued after only 60 minutes of deliberation was the final proof he wasn't listening to anyone at the hearing, they said.
"Was this just to shut us up? There is no integrity in this process. Justice was not served," said survivor Marlene Orgeron, a member of the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation in Manitoba who was adopted out to a family in New Orleans.
"I don't feel I was heard. Our words just fell from the air."
Survivor Sandra Relling from Alberta said the decision "came far too soon.
"I don't believe it was a fair hearing. I think it was biased. I'm tired of the leaders of this country telling me what's in my best interest. I feel victimized again."
The Saskatoon Federal Court hearing was to grant approval for the national settlement. An Ontario hearing scheduled for the end of this month regarding claimants in part of that province will also be required for full implementation.
Shore said the administrator of the funds must disseminate and communicate details of compensation and services.
Judge's Remarks Called 'Inappropriate'
Earlier in the day, some survivors of the Sixties Scoop had questioned the fitness of Shore to oversee the hearing.
During his 16-minute opening remarks on Friday morning in a Saskatoon hotel ballroom, some survivors in the gallery shook their heads while others walked out.
"I was disgusted; I had to leave," said survivor Peter Van Name, from Mikisew Cree First Nation, Alta.
Van Name, Melissa Parkin and other survivors said Shore was supposed to be objective, but had made multiple references in favour of the settlement. On Friday morning, the second day of the hearing, he appeared to promote the benefits of a foundation proposed as part of the deal, saying that's the best way people can have their stories heard.
"You need a tailor-made solution for you. We hope the foundation can recognize that," Shore said.
Van Name, who grew up with an adopted family in New Jersey, said the statements were inappropriate.
"It doesn't matter what I think now," he said. "They've already made their decision." .. The US & Canada made a deal > we have no chance to ever win..
From the late 1950s through the 1980s, thousands of First Nations and Métis children were apprehended by child welfare authorities and placed in non-Indigenous care in what has become known as the Sixties Scoop.
More than 100 survivors from across Canada, as well as dozens of lawyers, government officials and security officers, hoped to testify at the two-day hearing. It was moved from the courthouse to a hotel to accommodate the large crowds.
There were other comments from Shore on Friday that angered survivors.
Shore told the gallery non-Indigenous people were harmed more than Indigenous survivors by the Sixties Scoop and other historic events because they caused non-Indigenous people to lose their reverence for the land and nature.
Shore made references to "barbarians eating fruit in trees," Nelson Mandela, and compared himself to a heart surgeon.
At one point, he said he'd stop speaking because he knew survivors had to stick to a three-minute time limit, but then continued speaking for several minutes.
"I'm taking all this time for one reason — a judge is a human being, lawyers are human beings," said Shore, repeating several times he understands the pain survivors are feeling.
Shore took his seat, and the rest of Friday morning saw lawyers speaking about the legal details and their fees.
"He talked like that for how many minutes and we get three? We get nothing," Van Name said.
Other survivors who spoke Thursday and Friday were upset by the process and the time limits. They said it felt like they were being lectured.
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