Sask. NDP calls for provincial apology over Timber Bay, Île-à-la-Crosse residential schools

Saskatchewan's NDP called on the provincial government Wednesday to apologize for its role in two residential schools the party said were damaging to First Nations and Métis people. 

The schools, operated in Île-à-la-Crosse and Timber Bay, were run by religious organizations, an NDP news release said.

"The operation of these two residential schools in Saskatchewan was a dark chapter in the history of our province that occurred under the watch of successive governments of all political stripes," NDP Leader Ryan Meili said. 

"We cannot change the past, but as leaders, we are responsible for acknowledging our history, admitting fault, accepting responsibility, and moving forward together in the spirit of truth and reconciliation."

The Île-à-la-Crosse and Timber Bay schools were not part of the federal Indian Residential School Settlement process — a 2007 class-action settlement that involved survivors, the federal government and churches that ran the schools, and led to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

In 2019, a group of survivors who attended the Île-à-la-Crosse boarding school signed an agreement with the federal government that would see past attendees compensated.

No such agreement was made with those who attended the Timber Bay residential school.

On Wednesday, the NDP also called for the province to "put pressure" on the federal government to get compensation for survivors.

Buckley Belanger, the NDP MLA for Athabasca, also called on the province to support survivors and release information that could help them in their litigation efforts, something fellow MLA Doyle Vermette said was underway thanks to northern leadership. 

In an emailed statement, the provincial government said litigation against the government of Saskatchewan related to both schools started in 2001 for TImber Bay and in 2006 for Île-à-la-Crosse.

That process is still before the courts, the province's statement said, adding similar action was taken against the federal government.

The province's statement said the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear the case about Timber Bay's residential school status.

The province said it was aware the Lac La Ronge Indian Band and the Prince Albert Grand Council were working to see survivors included in the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement. 

"The province has not been contacted by either LLRIB or PAGC to support their efforts in this regard," the statement said. 

"Given the legal status of these files we are unable to provide further comment at this time."