The ball is in the Government of Saskatchewan’s court. That’s the gist from a Question Period interaction at the House of Commons Thursday, between an NDP MP and the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. Edmonton MP Blake Desjarlais wanted to know why the Liberal government hadn’t settled yet with Ile-a-la-Crosse residential school Survivors. Between the 1820s and the 1970s, Metis and First Nations children at the school were stripped of culture, language and identity and experienced abuse, but Desjarlais said that due to a narrow legal classification of what constitutes a residential school, these survivors were excluded from the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.

Minister Marc Miller called it a disgrace that the survivors hadn’t been compensated yet, saying they deserve justice. However, he says, “Unfortunately the Government of Saskatchewan has not acted up to this date, and it needs to be at the table with us. These were administered by the Government of Saskatchewan and it needs to held accountable. Reconciliation is not only the job of the federal government, which is to be held to account, but for all levels of government and we need the Government of Saskatchewan to stand up.”

Over 300 Survivors of the Isle-a-la-Crosse Residential School are gathering in Saskatoon this weekend, beginning Friday at TCU Place to support each other and move forward in healing.