Minister hopes school settlement will help Sask. community heal

OTTAWA — Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree says he hopes a federal settlement with Métis who attended a boarding school in Saskatchewan will help them heal.

The Île-à-la-Crosse boarding school operated for more than 100 years and was attended by Métis and First Nations people who reported being banned from speaking their language and being abused by staff.

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The Métis Nation of Saskatchewan announced Monday it had reached an agreement in principle with the federal government to pay up to $27 million to former Île-à-la-Crosse students and $10 million to projects that address healing, education, language and culture.

The Île-à-la-Crosse Boarding School Steering Committee filed a lawsuit against Canada three years ago over its role in the school.

Anandasangaree says the settlement is about correcting the record and ensuring Canada acknowledges the harms former policies inflicted on Indigenous people.

He says that while his government is sometimes accused of being slow to act, it’s always the right time to try to make amends.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2025.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press