Métis leader headed to visit Pope says her people’s story of residential schools ‘has yet to be told’

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This article was published 27/03/2022 (1073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Warning: This story discusses residential schools and the abuse that took place there.

The president of the Métis National Council says the upcoming meeting with the Pope will be an opportunity to share the untold story of how the residential school system affected Métis people in Canada.

Métis National Council President Cassidy Caron is heading to the Vatican as part of an Indigenous delegation to meet with the Pope as it pursues a call to action to have him come to Canada to apologize for the church’s role in the residential school system.

“The Métis story of residential school is one that has yet to be told and one that has yet to be really explored in depth … so we are, as a Métis Nation, right now in the process of really putting together records and stories and trying to uncover the truth of the Métis residential school experience,” Caron said.

The implementation of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement started in 2007, a process that included compensating eligible former students and launching an independent assessment process for claims of sexual and physical abuse.

But Caron said the schools Métis students attended were not included in that agreement.

“There are hundreds of residential schools, boarding schools, convents, that served the same purpose as residential schools that were left out of that settlement agreement. And many of those schools were the ones that our families went to as Métis people,” Caron said.

“This really comes from the issues that stemmed from how the settlements Indian Residential Settlement Agreement was negotiated. … I don’t fault those who were involved in the process. And now we see this as an opportunity to do this work for ourselves, for our people, our communities and the Métis Nation,” she added.

She said she believes an apology from the Pope and Catholic Church is “long overdue.” During their meeting, she said, she will emphasize the continued impact the legacy of the residential school system has on Métis people today.

“Our survivors who are still with us today, they still live with this trauma that was done to them and to our communities and our families. That legacy that residential school has left on our communities and our families, that’s embedded in our DNA,” Caron said.

“My hope is that the Pope listens and hears and begins to understand that, of course, this all took place in the past. But it very much still affects us today.”

The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of a residential school experience. Support is available at 1-866-925-4419.

Omar Mosleh is an Edmonton-based reporter for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @OmarMosleh