MMF announces investment of $2M for Red River Métis Sixties Scoop Bridge to Justice Fund

October 19, 2024

Winnipeg, MB, in the National Homeland of the Red River Métis -Today, the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), National Government of the Red River Métis, announced the launch of a two-million-dollar Red River Métis Sixties Scoop Bridge to Justice Fund in front of thousands of Citizens at the MMF's Annual General Assembly, including many of our Sixties Scoop Survivors. The fund's goal is to provide immediate financial relief to eligible Red River Métis Sixties Scoop Survivors.

The Bridge to Justice 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, 1939, and December 31, 1991.

"The pursuit for justice for our Red River Métis Sixties Scoop Survivors is a battle we won't give up, and we haven't won it yet," said Denise Thomas, MMF's Minister for Sixties Scoop. "The Bridge to Justice Fund is not just about financial justice, it is about acknowledging the pain and suffering of our survivors while we continue to advocate for the rest of the country to recognize what was done to them. We are dedicated to healing the intergenerational wounds inflicted by colonial systems and restoring dignity to those who were taken from their families."

This disbursement is designed to provide immediate financial assistance to our Sixties Scoop Survivors who are still living, while we continue to pursue the existing lawsuit between the MMF and the Government of Canada. The total amount allocated for this initiative will not exceed $2,000,000. 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 intervener status.

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. The MMF will advocate for payments for deceased survivors, their spouses, partners, children, and grandchildren who are not eligible for this payment, through the lawsuits and negotiations.

"We know that our Survivors are aging out of this world without having received justice for what was done to them," said David Chartrand, President of the MMF. "That's why our government has decided to use our own dollars to create this Bridge to Justice Fund. It's not enough to compensate our Survivors, who in many cases were outright trafficked and sold away to international jurisdictions for as little as $10 to $25, but I hope it gives each of our living Survivors some measure of peace while the Red River Métis Government continues to pursue justice on their behalf."

Eligible individuals must complete the Red River Métis Sixties Scoop Bridge to Justice Fund Form and submit it to the MMF's Sixties Scoop and Residential School Department via email to info.ssrs@mmf.mb.ca or by mail to 200 Main Street, 5th Floor, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 1A8. The Forms must be submitted within one year from this announcement.

For more information about the Red River Métis Sixties Scoop Bridge to Justice Fund, please contact 431-866-8186.

-30-

For more information, media may contact:
Kat Patenaude
Media Relations Advisor
Manitoba Métis Federation
204-801-7710
Kat.Patenaude@mmf.mb.ca

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.

View More