June 21, 2022
CHEYENNE STONECHILD FIRST PRESENTED at CLEBC’s Access to Justice for Children Conference seven years ago, when she was 17 years old and just leaving foster care.
She is now the lead plaintiff in a newly certified class action lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of Indigenous children taken from their families while living away from reserves and placed in non-Indigenous care.
Solicitors of record are Murphy Battista LLP and Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP. This is not the first class action launched against the federal government by the Indigenous Law Practice Group at Gowlings. In 2019, the Federal Court approved a $1.47 billion settlement in a class proceeding brought by lead plaintiff the late Garry McLean of the Lake Manitoba First Nation on behalf of former students of Indian Day Schools and their families, filed by that firm in 2016.
Only three weeks are left in the claims process for the Indian Day Schools Class Action, which closes on July 13, 2022. Those affected by the trauma associated with their attendance at an historic Federal Indian Day School can get help and support and find information on how to submit an application here and here.
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We acknowledge that the land on which we work is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.