Application for Sixties Scoop Bridge to Justice Fund now available

WINNIPEG, MB, IN THE NATIONAL HOMELAND OF THE RED RIVER MÉTIS , Jan. 28, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), the National Government of the Red River Métis, is pleased to announce that applications for the MMF's own Bridge to Justice Fund are now available for living Survivors.

MMF President David Chartrand announced the fund at the 2024 Annual General Assembly, with a goal of providing immediate financial relief to eligible Red River Métis Sixties Scoop Survivors. The fund is part of our ongoing commitment to support those who were forcibly removed from their families and placed in the child welfare system between January 1, 1951, and December 31, 1991.

"Seeking justice for our Sixties Scoop Survivors is of great importance to us," said Minister Thomas, MMF Minister for Sixties Scoop. "We actively support their re-integration into our culture and community, which were stolen from them when they were taken away from us. This work is critical, but we also know that they still deserve an apology and justice for what was done to them by colonial governments, with so many of them treated poorly in their adoptive and foster environments. Many of our Survivors experienced physical, mental, and sexual abuse, and were used as slaves on farms for the personal economic growth of the farmers. I'm proud that the National Government of the Red River Métis is able to provide Survivors with some compensation while the wheels of justice continue to turn."

Each eligible living Sixties Scoop Survivor who is a Red River Métis Citizen is entitled to receive an advance payment of up to $5,000, with the total disbursement not to exceed $2 million . The fund has been set aside from the MMF's own resources, while we continue to pursue the existing lawsuit between the MMF and the Government of Canada. We believe that the Government should settle our lawsuit and the class action lawsuit in the Varley case, in which the MMF was recently granted intervenor status.

Survivors can submit their completed applications through email at [email protected], or by appointment at 200 Main Street by calling 1-877-595-2194. Applications can also be submitted by mail at:

MMF Sixties Scoop and Residential Schools Department
c/o Manitoba Métis Federation
200 Main Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3C 1A8

"Hearing the stories of our Sixties Scoop Survivors and the pain they've had to deal with their entire lives has made it clear that there is a need for justice," said MMF President David Chartrand. "That's why we've used our own resources to develop this fund, to address the Survivors who were abandoned and left out by both the federal and provincial governments. Both played a role in the circumstances our Survivors have been left in. There can be no doubt that some of our Survivors have already left this world, and others may soon leave. Nothing will ever truly compensate them for being stolen away from their families and their Nation, but I hope these dollars help them do something that matters to them and to their loved ones while they are still with us."

For more information, Sixties Scop Survivors may contact:
Sixties Scoop Department
1-877-595-2194
[email protected]

Direct link to application: https://www.mmfsixtiesscoop.ca/wcm-docs/docs/sixties_scoop_bridge_to_justice_fund_application_package_final.pdf

Believe in Yourself; Believe in Métis.

The Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) is the democratically elected National Government of the Red River Métis, also known as the Manitoba Métis. The Red River Métis are a distinct Indigenous Nation and People and Canada's Negotiating Partners in Confederation and the Founders of the Province of Manitoba.

SOURCE Manitoba Metis Federation

For more information, media may contact: Kat Patenaude, Media Relations Advisor, Manitoba Métis Federation, 204-801-7710, [email protected]