Presbyterians sign final residential schools compensation deal

Ottawa, Canada -

The federal government and the Presbyterians have signed a final compensation deal under which the church will pay $2.1 million to victims of abuse at Indian residential schools it ran.

The agreement, initialled in December, requires the church to accept responsibility for the sexual and physical abuse and cover 30 per cent of the estimated liability. The federal government will cover the remainder of the liability and has committed $1.7 billion over seven years to resolve up to 18,000 lawsuits out of court.

Nearly 12,000 people are seeking compensation through the courts for their experiences at Indian residential schools - which were funded by the government and run by churches - and more suits are expected.

The Anglican Church, following ratification by its 30 dioceses, is expected to sign a final agreement soon.

Negotiations continue with the United Church, while talks have stalled with Catholic church groups named in more than 70 per cent of cases.

Read article at CNEWS Canada dated February 13, 2003

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