News that the Ontario Superior Court has ruled in favor of litigants in the class action lawsuit on the “Sixties Scoop” comes as good news to the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations executive.
The decision by the Ontario Superior Court Monday deals with the practice in the 1960s and ‘70s of removing large numbers of Indigenous children from their families and communities and placing them in the care of non-Indigenous foster homes or adoptive homes.
“Acknowledging and addressing the injustice of the many First Nation children who were taken from their families in the 60s and 70s is the next step in the process of reconciliation,” said FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron in a statement following the ruling. “There is significant trauma in being uprooted and stolen as children.”
The FSIN executive has issued a statement saying they are watching the situation closely, and waiting for direction from their chiefs on how to proceed. Cameron has stated the courts and government will need to act quickly to support the survivors.
The Superior Court decision directly impacts around 16,000 people in Ontario but has national implications. The court ruled Canada breached a common law duty of care to take reasonable steps to present on-reserve children from losing their indigenous identity.
FSIN officials say indigenous people in Saskatchewan have suffered as well.
“Our First Nations people in our region have endured and experienced the same trauma and demand reconciliation,” said FSIN Vice-Chief Heather Bear.
“We received a steady flow of calls from Saskatchewan survivors of the 60s scoop looking for information and support.”
