Publication
Unless you go looking for it, you don't hear much these days about the fallout from the federal government's residential school truth and reconciliation process.
In many ways, the people in that process want to be under the radar, they cling to the confidentiality that's omnipresent throughout a series of events that has them recount the story of what happened to them as children in residential schools.
Many First Nations parents were forced to give up their children when the governments of the day allowed residential schools - most of them set up by church organizations - to be built to house young natives. There, the children were not allowed to speak their own language, were forced to conform to European social norms. They were being assimilated. Countless children were also abused physically and sexually by those who ran the facilities.
It took years for the stories to come out and for the churches involved and the federal government to accept responsibility and to apologize. Lawsuits were launched, compensation was won and in the end, Canada embarked on a truth and reconciliation commission to deal with what happened at residential schools.
Yet, the damage is done. Generations of First Nations people are scarred by what happened, and while there may be reconciliation, in some cases there's isn't a lot of forgiveness.
Today, the national commission is hearing the stories of people who were forced into residential schools, checking their records and offering compensation.
That's where someone like Samuel Stevens has been able to help.
A Parksville-based lawyer, Stevens has been practicing since 1984. It wasn't, however, until 2004 that he became involved in cases over residential school victims.
"At that time, I had a couple of people open files with me in residential school claims," he said. "Now, I'm working exclusively in that area."
He admitted he got into the work by chance - after a client asked him to do some of the legwork on a claim. Stevens himself is a First Nations person, from the Kitigan Zibi Nation in Quebec. He grew up near North Bay, Ontario.
Stevens said he began watching the fallout from residential school cases across the country, culminating in a class action lawsuit launched by Tony Merchant in Saskatchewan. He said when the government realized the cases were strong - and there were a lot of them - they and the churches settled. Yet, the feds found themselves faced with paying out millions in compensation and looking for a way to do so fairly.
Stevens said the government came up with the Alternate Dispute Resolution, or ADR, process in about 2003. It is a mediation-like approach that determines a claimant's credibility, reliability and considers evidence to determine what actually happened to them while they were in a residential school. The process also looks at how any abuse affected their lives, from anger and trust issues to sexual dysfunction and substance abuse.
"Many of the people didn't have the ability to connect the dots," Stevens said, "over what's caused them to feel anxiety, to be angry, to be ashamed." What many people suffered as children, led to adult issues today, and much of that is still being passed on to new generations.
Mary-Ellen Campbell, a counseling facilitator with Stevens & Co. said they see many people having suffered abuse."
It's hard," she said. "People often have never told their stories. They have a lack of trust, alcoholism and anger issues - and they sometimes wonder where it all started from." Campbell's job is to help clients get into counseling, going beyond the simple role of a law office. This is, in part, she said, to help them as they go through this process, as they will have to repeat their stories during the hearings. As well, cultural ceremonies are welcomed to help make the participants more comfortable.
"At the end of the hearing," Campbell said, "everyone gets to say something to the client. It's truly moving. Maybe that's a step towards healing."
Few people going through this process are from Parksville or Qualicum Beach, said Stevens. But many come here, or to neighboring communities, to have their stories heard. The ADR, he continued, determines the impact of the residential school and the loss of opportunities later in life. "The average client didn't finish school and had menial or labour-intensive jobs," Stevens explained. "Some have substance abuse difficulties in their lives."
Compensation starts at what's known as a common experience payout - $10,000 for the first year spent in a residential school, and $3,000 each subsequent year. Stevens said there is further compensation offered, but it's determined case-by-case. The money, however, isn't that easy to get. The entire effort involves a client reliving his or her experiences in a residential school. Consequently, the public is not allowed into these hearings and only the adjudicators can speak to the clients. Their job, said Stevens, is to ask the right questions to find out what happened as best they can. Then, they are required to research people's claims.
Stevens said his job is to research his clients' claims as well - via school and government records, church documents and more - to help bolster their case.
His office goes further, offering counseling resources to clients in need. Part of their work is helping people get prepared for what can be a harrowing experience of reliving past horrors. "We help people understand the process, what it's about," Stevens said. "Really, it's the first step in their healing. It can be, for some, a release of emotional pain."
The process, ultimately, is about healing, affirmation of what many First Nations people went through and, said Stevens, the beginning of change for people. Counseling can continue for years as they seek to improve their lives and the lives of their own families.
By Steven Heywood - Parksville Qualicum Beach News
Published: January 28, 2010 7:00 PM