Canada makes a historic decision and pays approximately 3 billion dollars to indigenous peoples.
The gesture has the goal to repair the damage suffered for more than a century of domination. More than 150,000 children were taken from their families and forcibly interned in religious residential schools. (source: aa.com.tr)
A commission of inquiry described the boarding school system as a "cultural genocide". (source: Aljazeera.com)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a historic agreement with 325 indigenous communities to compensate them with almost 3 billion Canadian dollars for abuses suffered between the late 19th century and the 1900s. "Canada is committed to repairing the collective harm caused by the residential school system and the loss of language, culture, and heritage," according to a press release from the Ministry for Crown-Indigenous Relations. (source: Aljazeera.com)
For nearly a century, approximately 150,000 indigenous children were taken from their families and forcibly enrolled in residential schools, often run by the Catholic Church. The children were being isolated from their families, language, and culture. Thousands of them never returned to their families and only in recent years have investigations been carried out to shed light on the tragic colonial past of this former territory that belonged to the British Empire. (source: the New York Times)
The record amount announced Saturday aims to compensate these 325 communities in western Canada to "revitalize Indigenous education, culture, and language to support survivors in their healing process and reconnect with their heritage." (source: the New York Times)
In a visit to Canada last July, Pope Francis asked for forgiveness for the harm done for decades in these schools for indigenous people. The good Pope declared his sorrow for these practices, which were encouraged by the Catholic Church in the past. (source: digi24.com)
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