An Indian day school survivor is appealing a multi-billion settlement with the federal government saying the process was retraumatizing, now she is taking her case to Canada's top court. 

Downtown

An Indian day school survivor has lodged an appeal against a multi-billion-dollar settlement agreement with the federal government, labeling the process as retraumatizing. The individual is now taking their case to the Supreme Court of Canada, seeking redress for the grievances experienced during the settlement process. This action underscores the complexities involved in addressing historical injustices and the impact such processes can have on the survivors.



Indian day school survivor calls settlement process retraumatizing

I was also ashamed to share my abuse and my trauma. Margaret Swan reads one among hundreds of complaints she's gathered against a multi-billion dollar settlement agreement she helped create and then quickly came to question. I thought I would fall apart. Not so long ago, Swan became a lead plaintiff in a class action against Ottawa for harms caused at federal Indian day schools. Institutions like residential schools accept children went home at night. Students who attended these schools were subject to sexual, physical and psychological abuse. In 2019, a deal was cemented between day school survivors and the federal government. The cost was initially pegged at just over one billion dollars but CBC News has learned it's now close to six billion dollars. Whatever the cost, the government says it wanted to do one thing better. What we tried to do is simplify the process here in order in order that survivors had easier access to the settlement monies without necessarily having to go through the trauma that they had to. They designed a claim process to avoid re-traumatizing survivors. All they had to do was fill out a form and that's when problems began. It asked a lot and for some, too much. Felt traumatized again, victimized again. And when victims reached out for help, they felt no one was there. I felt compelled to just sign it and I guess I suffered the consequences. Waldron hired her own lawyers to update her claim. She was denied. Now CBC News has learned they're asking Canada's highest court to intervene. These aren't insurance claims. These are claims dealing with with real people who are victims of abuse as children. And Olivia, what if the Supreme Court agrees to hear Jesse Waldron's case? Well, Adrienne, Ottawa will find itself in a difficult position. Facing off against one of the day school survivors, it promised to help. Now it could take a couple of months before the court makes that decision. In the meantime, there are tens of thousands of survivors who are waiting to have their claims settled. The government has received almost 185,000 applications for compensation and the majority have been paid out at the lowest level. All right, Olivia Stefanovic in Ottawa.

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