Sask. Catholic bishops resurrect fundraising campaign for residential school survivors

The announcement follows calls for a church boycott until the $25 million fundraising goal made by Catholic church bodies in the landmark 2005 Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement is achieved. It also follows a CBC News investigation this week into the political and legal events that resulted in less than $4 million being raised.

“We have heard the strong request, from Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people in various quarters to initiate a new fundraising campaign to support survivors and engage more deeply in our own ongoing commitment and response to the Truth and Reconciliation process,” states the joint letter from Saskatchewan’s five bishops.

The letter states consultations have begun within the dioceses and they “look forward to responding with more details in the near future.”

Officials from the Regina diocese, Saskatoon diocese or the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops couldn’t be immediately reached for comment Sunday. It’s unclear when the campaign will begin, what the target dollar amount will be or whether bishops in other provinces will follow.

A Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations official said they will be issuing a statement later Sunday.

FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron, Kinistin Saulteaux Nation Chief Felix Thomas, Okanagan Indian Band Chief Byron Louis and others had recently called for Catholics to boycott Sunday mass until the remaining $21 million was paid.

They are also calling on the Catholic church to immediately release all records related to residential schools, and for Pope Francis to come to Canada to issue an apology, as outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action.

New effort ‘must be highly transparent’

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, director of the University of British Columbia’s Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre reviewed the bishops’ statement.

“This is interesting news coming from the Bishops in Saskatchewan. I commend them for their announcement,” said Turpel-Lafond, a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, located approximately 100 kilometres north of Saskatoon.

WATCH | Director of UBC’s Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre addresses Catholic Church compensation deal:

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a former Saskatchewan provincial court judge and current director of the University of British Columbia’s Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre, says a good gesture of reconciliation would be for the Catholic Church to fulfil its promise to raise $25 million to compensate tens of thousands of residential school survivors. 4:50

She said she’s eager to see details.

“In the past, such announcements were not followed through, even though they were ordered by the Court, and Canadians and First Nations were left completely in the dark. To be credible, this new effort must be highly transparent and monitored by someone outside the church,” she said.

Turpel-Lafond and others have said that remaining $21 million is a “starting point” to repairing the church’s relationship with survivors. They say concrete action by the Catholic church is especially urgent following the discovery of more than 1,000 unmarked graves at former residential school sites in Kamloops, B.C., the Cowessess First Nation in southern Saskatchewan and elsewhere.

They’d like to see fundraising campaigns for church buildings put on hold until the money for survivors is paid. They also favour diverting to the survivors’ fund some of the tens of millions being raised for Regina’s Holy Rosary Cathedral, Toronto’s St. Michael’s Basilica and other current building projects.

Survivors and others have said that if Canadian Catholic churches won’t pay, the Vatican should. They pointed to the Vatican Bank’s estimated $6 billion in assets, and the church’s global land holdings. 

That includes speculative real estate investments of more than $500 million in one London office building alone, according to charges against 10 officials announced this weekend by Vatican prosecutors.

Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools, and those who are triggered by these reports.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for residential school survivors and others affected.

People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.