A meeting was held on December 13, 2024, with the Four Pillars Society. Attendees included Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir, Tk̓wenem7íple7 Dave Manuel, Tk̓wenem7íple7 Vicki Manuel, Jeanette Jules (Manager, Le Estcwicwéy̓ – The Missing), Fred Seymour (Grassroots – C&C Liaison, Manager, Le Estcwicwéy̓ – The Missing), Shane Gottfriedson (Board Member), and Travis Anderson (Chief Financial Officer, TteS).
HISTORY
In 2012, members of the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc and shíshálh Nation led by Shane Gottfriedson and Garry Feschuk launched a national class action lawsuit for day scholars who were left out of the original Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement from 2006. After 9 years, a $2.8-billion-dollar settlement was awarded in 2021 for the class action lawsuit concerning Day School Scholars. Initially filed by the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc and shíshálh Nation in British Columbia, plaintiffs in the case have developed a disbursement plan for the funds. There are 325 Indigenous Nations across Canada that are represented in this class action lawsuit. This plan initially combined the band reparations claim (referred to as the band class) and the residential school day scholars claim. Day scholars, survivors who were compelled to attend institutions during the day but returned home at night, were excluded from the 2006 residential school settlement.
PURPOSE OF THE FOUR PILLARS SOCIETY
Each of the 325 First Nations that joined the lawsuit will receive an initial one-time payment of $200,000 for the purposes of developing a plan to carry out a 10-year plan for the revitalization of their language and culture, structured around the four pillars. The fund will operate for a period of 20 years.
The Four Pillars:
- The revival and protections of Indigenous language
- The revival and protection of Indigenous culture
- The protections and promotion of heritage
- The wellness of Indigenous communities and their members.