U of R conference delves into Canada's settlement agreements with Indigenous peoples

By Krista Baliko Posted: October 4, 2019 5:00 a.m.

Whose Settlement? A Conference runs October 10-11 and is hosted by the University of Regina and the First Nations University of Canada Photo: courtesy of First Nations University of Canada

Whose Settlement? A Conference, a joint University of Regina and First Nations University of Canada initiative, will explore Canada's different settlement agreements with Indigenous peoples.

Conference co-convenor Dr. Cindy Hanson says the conference speakers will delve into everything from Indian Residential Schools and the '60s Scoop, to the Independent Assessment Process and child welfare in Canada.

"The conference will increase awareness about the Independent Assessment Process (IAP) - which is the compensation for serious abuses that were part of the Indian Residential School (IRS) settlement agreement - and the '60s Scoop settlement agreement," says Hanson, who is a professor in the University of Regina's Faculty of Education. "We will also examine if settlement agreements are the best way to right historical wrongs."

Dr. Allyson Stevenson, co-convenor of the conference, says she is pleased that such high calibre speakers are part of the two-day event.

"Amazing scholars, Elders, students, and survivors from across Canada and the United States will discuss settlement agreements and their ongoing impacts - from intergenerational impacts and trauma to healing," says Stevenson, a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples and Global Social Justice.

The conference begins on October 10 with free soup and bannock and a public panel discussion called Whose Settlement Agreement? Learning from the '60s Scoop and IAP.

On Friday, October 11, the keynote speaker Dr. Cindy Blackstock will present a talk entitled, Is it genocide: A history of First Nations child welfare in Canada. Blackstock is a researcher, author, and advocate for the reform of Canada's child welfare system.

Full conference details and registration information can be found at the Whose Settlement? A Conference website.

A limited number of registration subsidies are available for students and Residential School survivors.