The Assembly of First Nations and the Canadian government are working on a deal to pay all former students of residential schools, according to the Canadian Press.

One proposal includes offering every former student $10,000 (Canadian) plus another $3,000 for each year spent in a residential school, CP said. Victims could still pursue lawsuits for higher damages in the courts, the report said.

AFN has been advocating a lump-sum payout because an alternative dispute resolution process set up by the government has not been successful. Of the 12,000 people with claims, only about 1,300 have been resolved.

The Canadian Bar Association also supports lump-sump payments. News reports show that the government has spent $34 million to administer the current process but has paid less than $1 million to victims.

A deal could be announced by the end of the month.

Get the Story:
Residential school deal to offer survivors lump sum: report (CBC 5/4)
Payouts possible for residential students (CP 5/3)

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

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