VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, shíshálh Nation and the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) are pleased to announce that they have reached an historic agreement on 2.8 Raised billions of dollars with Canada, which recognizes the collective harm Indian boarding schools have caused to indigenous communities.

Gottfriedson v. His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, also known as Band Reparations Class Action, is a class action lawsuit against the government of Canada. The lawsuit states that the Canadian government is responsible for the collective harms inflicted on indigenous communities by India’s boarding school system, including the collective loss of language and culture and damage to the social fabric.

325 First Nations bands are part of the lawsuit. In order to participate, bands had to “register” or “join” the class action lawsuit. The opt-in period has now expired and it is no longer possible to join the lawsuit. For a full list of bands that have joined the lawsuit and are members of the band class, see www.bandreparations.ca

This lawsuit was brought by First Nations Deputy Plaintiffs Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and shíshálh Nation with support from the Great Council of Crees (Eeyou Istchee).

The settlement agreement is based on the four pillar principles:

• revitalizing and protecting indigenous languages;
  
• revitalizing and protecting indigenous cultures;
  
• wellness for indigenous communities and their members;
  
• Promotion and protection of heritage.
  

The key points of the settlement agreement are:

• The Government of Canada will make a US$2.8 billion payment (the “Fund”) to a Trust/Not-For-Profit to fully and definitively settle the Band Reparations Class Action.
  
• The trust/not-for-profit is for the prudent investment of the fund for a period of 20 years, the distribution of investment income from the fund to the members of the Band class and after 20 years the distribution of the remainder of the fund to the to support band class members…