'There's still lots of hurt and trauma': Not all Sixties Scoop survivors want apology from Sask. gov't
CBC News | Posted: November 23, 2018 11:00 AM | Last Updated: November 23, 2018
Sharing circles meant to help direct the Saskatchewan government in making a meaningful apology
Some survivors of the Sixties Scoop say they do not want an apology from the Saskatchewan government for the role it played in separating Indigenous children from their culture, language, families and identity.
"There's still lots of hurt and trauma," said Melissa Parkyn, one of the facilitators for sharing circles being organized by the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Saskatchewan (SSISS).
Sharing circles have been held in communities throughout the province, with the goal of helping direct the province as it prepares to apologize for the Scoop.
The Sixties Scoop saw saw tens of thousands of Indigenous children across Canada taken from their families and adopted out across the country and the world, mostly to white families, between the 1960s and the 1980s.
Parkyn said about half the people who have attended the circles and shared their experiences do not want a government apology.
"It's brought back horrific memories and then some [people] that are grateful to have it lifted off their shoulders," Parkyn said of the sessions.
"Some, they're just not ready."
The last of eight sharing circles will be held in Regina on Sunday. Government officials have been at each sharing circle documenting the process but what has been said in each circle will stay between those people, Parkyn said.
When the final circle wraps up, the stories and experiences will be reviewed and the key points which the province needs to be addressed will be noted, she added.
"It's been a long road for all of us and the stories that are told are really sacred and some that are still hard to address today," Parkyn said.
She said she hopes to continue supporting survivors after the apology and continuing on a path toward reconciliation.