The Assembly of First Nations offered a plan on Wednesday that would resolve all outstanding residential school abuse claims by 2010.

AFN says each victim should receive a minimum cash payment of $10,000 (Canadian). Compensation will be increased depending on number of years a student attended school and the level of documented abuse.

The payments will be accompanied by a "national mechanism for truth-sharing, healing and reconciliation." AFN Chief Phil Fontaine said this would help abuse victims and the nation as a whole move forward.

The plan was outlined in a report that called Canada's process for settling abuse claims a failure. The government has released statistics showing that it spent $74.8 million to resolve claims, but most of the money went to lawyers and overhead. With 12,000 claims pending, the process will not be complete for 53 years and would cost up to $2.3 billion.

Get the Story:
AFN calls for immediate $10,000 payment to residential school survivors (CBC 11/17)
Ottawa's fast-track program a failure, says AFN (CBC 11/17)
Ottawa's native abuse claims program a failure: AFN (CBC 11/17)

Get the Report:
Report on Canada�s Dispute Resolution Plan to Compensate for Abuses in Indian Residential Schools (November 2004)

Relevant Links:
Assembly of First Nations - http://www.afn.ca

Indian Residential Schools Resolution Department - http://www.irsr-rqpi.gc.ca/english

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