On September 30, 2019, the names of 2,800 children who died in residential schools in Canada were released by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at a ceremony in Gatineau, Quebec (see Truth and Reconciliation Commission). The ceremony was the culmination of several years of archival research of government and religious books on Aboriginal children in 80 schools across the country, with records dating back to the 1890s. According to archivists, 1,600 children who died in residential schools remain unnamed and researchers continue to search records to find out their identities. On August 2, 2018, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the Merchant Law Group`s (MLG) appeal to withhold 21,310.83 $US to a residential school reversion award for “outstanding bills.” [38] The January 2014 survivor`s compensation of $93,000 for the IrSSA Independent Assessment Process (IPI) is protected by the IrSSA and the Financial Administration Act of the Supreme Court of British Columbia 2006. Under this act, lawyers are “expressly prohibited from awarding part of the IAP award” … PPI applicants were considered particularly vulnerable. [38] Since 2000, MLG has represented the client and her son. The adjudication secretariat, which regularly checked the IAP files, found the deduction from previous bills. [38] When Marchant was asked to return the money to the complainant,[38] he appealed to withhold the money for legal fees. [38] In October 2020, the Law Society of Saskatchewan announced its decision to suspend Merchant for eight months and stated that, because of the woman`s vulnerability, Marchant “should have known better” than to use a disrespectful and intimidating tone with her, requiring her to sign a form authorizing Marchant to retain her right to the IAP to pay “unrelated bill of her son.” [39] The Disciplinary Board stated that the suspension would begin in February 2021 and that Marchant also had to pay more than $10,000 in fees. [39] According to an october 2, 2020 Regina Leader Post article, MLG filed an appeal in the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal to overturn the Disciplinary Board`s decision and overturn the stay. [39] When she collected her application, she tried to get a lawyer to help her, but he would not accept her case because she did not have documentation to support her assertion.
“Today is a historic step forward, as we have made a comparative proposal for Indian Day Schools alumni. It is really an example of the kind of work we can do together when we negotiate instead of arguing about the resolution of childhood claims. This would not have been possible without the tireless leadership, commitment and commitment of the class members.