August 15, 2012 - 4:25 PM
NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. - Two First Nations in B.C. are launching a class-action lawsuit on behalf of a group of former residential school students who were excluded from a damage settlement with the federal government.
First Nations bands in Kamloops and Sechelt, B.C., are launching a case in Federal Court on behalf of so-called day scholars.
The term day scholars refers to students who attended the First Nations residential schools during the day but returned to their home at night.
The federal government attempted to address the damaged caused to those who attended the notorious schools in a 2005 settlement agreement with what are known as common experience payments, but day scholars were left out.
That exception has long been a concern for First Nations groups, who have argued day scholars still experienced the harm associated with a system designed to destroy their culture.
Sechelt Chief Garry Feschuk says while the federal government apologized for residential schools, Ottawa has yet to take responsibility for all of the harms they inflicted.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012