The Manitoba Métis Federation has taken legal action against both the provincial and federal governments following the exclusion of the Red River Métis from a settlement related to the Sixties Scoop survivors. The Sixties Scoop pertains to the removal of numerous First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children from their homes between 1951 and 1991, resulting in the loss of their cultural identities as they were placed with non-Indigenous foster or adoptive families.
In a statement of claim filed at the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench on Nov. 18, the MMF accuses Manitoba and Canada of permitting, funding, directing, and overseeing the Sixties Scoop to advance their “racist, colonial, Euro-Canadian values.” In 2017, the federal government announced an $800-million settlement for survivors, with some facing delays in receiving compensation. Over 34,000 claims were submitted by the 2019 deadline, with eligible survivors receiving around $25,000 each.
The MMF lawsuit highlights the long-standing absence of acknowledgment or redress for the Red River Métis following the Sixties Scoop. The federation asserts that as the governing body for the Red River Métis, it is pursuing legal action on behalf of its citizenship to address the collective harm endured due to the Sixties Scoop. The allegations made by the MMF focus on Canada and Manitoba’s failure to uphold their duties and obligations toward the Red River Métis, resulting in the erosion of Métis culture, language, identity, familial relationships, and the ability to pass on cultural heritage to survivors and their descendants.
The lawsuit seeks court declarations affirming that the Sixties Scoop violated and continues to violate constitutional, fiduciary, and common law obligations owed to the Red River Métis, leading to irreparable cultural, linguistic, and social damages. Additionally, the MMF is pursuing punitive, exemplary, and restorative damages to safeguard and preserve the linguistic and cultural rights of the Red River Métis. The suit emphasizes the profound and enduring cultural injuries inflicted on Indigenous children removed from their communities during the Sixties Scoop, often placed in non-Indigenous homes in the United States.
The legal action exposes historical practices of Manitoba and provincial child welfare agencies that facilitated the removal of Red River Métis children based on misguided Euro-Canadian beliefs about child-rearing practices. The lawsuit also references past reports and conventions, asserting that the Sixties Scoop constitutes cultural genocide and breaches international declarations on Indigenous rights. It accuses Manitoba and Canada of actively participating in the deliberate destruction of the culture of Red River Métis individuals and communities, causing lasting harm.
A Manitoba provincial representative declined to comment on the ongoing lawsuit, while Indigenous Services Canada did not respond to requests for input. The MMF’s legal action complements a separate class action lawsuit for Métis and non-status Sixties Scoop survivors certified by a Federal Court judge in 2021. The suit underscores the necessity of recognizing and addressing the enduring impact of the Sixties Scoop on Red River Métis communities, advocating for justice and restitution for the cultural losses suffered.