The Manitoba Métis Federation has taken legal action against the provincial and federal governments following the exclusion of the Red River Métis from a settlement related to Sixties Scoop survivors. The Sixties Scoop denotes the removal of numerous First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children from their homes between 1951 and 1991, leading to the loss of their cultural identities when placed with non-Indigenous foster or adoptive parents.
The lawsuit, filed at the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench on Nov. 18, alleges that Manitoba and Canada permitted, funded, directed, and supervised the Sixties Scoop to advance their own “racist, colonial, Euro-Canadian values.” In 2017, the federal government announced an $800-million settlement for survivors, with some facing delays in receiving compensation. Approximately 34,000 claims were submitted by the 2019 deadline, with eligible survivors receiving around $25,000 each.
Many Métis and non-status Indigenous survivors were notably excluded from seeking compensation. The MMF’s legal action aims to address the collective harms suffered by the Red River Métis due to the Sixties Scoop, highlighting the deprivation of Métis culture, language, identity, familial relations, and the ability to pass on Métis culture to survivors and their offspring.
The lawsuit alleges breaches of duties and obligations by Canada and Manitoba towards the Red River Métis, resulting in significant cultural, linguistic, and social harms. The MMF seeks court declarations regarding the constitutional, fiduciary, and common law duties owed to the Red River Métis, as well as punitive damages and amounts to restore and preserve the linguistic and cultural rights of the community.
The legal action also points out that Indigenous children affected by the Sixties Scoop in Manitoba were often placed in non-Indigenous homes in the United States, with Manitoba collaborating with American Catholic welfare agencies for placements. The removal of Red River Métis children from their communities was justified based on misguided Euro-Canadian assumptions about child-rearing practices, leading to the risk of losing language, culture, and identity for the community.
The MMF’s lawsuit further claims that the Sixties Scoop amounts to cultural genocide and breaches articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It asserts that both Manitoba and Canada played a role in the intentional destruction of the culture of Red River Métis children and communities, causing enduring cultural injuries.