Catholic Church, province sued over sexual assault allegations on Métis students
The plaintiffs' counsel says the case is the first of its kind in Manitoba, expects to see more victims
Two former Métis students of schools over which the Manitoba government had jurisdiction are suing the Winnipeg archdiocese, the Sisters of Notre Dame des Mission and the province over alleged sexual abuse.
The lawsuit outlines allegations that date back more than 50 years, naming two priests and a nun, all now deceased, as the perpetrators.
The plaintiffs' counsel, Israel Ludwig, hopes to settle the case outside the courtroom.
"What I would like to see is something that's non-adversarial. These people that suffered abuse are very sensitive people. They are fragile," Ludwig told CBC News.
"One of the things that personally bothers me when I take these cases forward is seeing my clients being re-abused by having to go through the process of telling their story and being subjected to some very tough questions."
Ludwig said the case is the first to be filed in Manitoba on behalf of Métis students who attended provincially-regulated schools. He said it could lead to many more victims coming forward.
Testing the waters
The Manitoba Métis Federation has reached out to Ludwig to be the go-to attorney the organization recommends to others with similar complaints of alleged abuse.
"Some people were fortunate enough to get help in the day. Unfortunately, that's a very small percentage of the people," said Andrew Carrier, an MMF board member. "A lot of people have a lot of hurt and anguish inside, and this is an opportunity for them to deal with that hurt and, secondly, seek the proper help that they need."
The organization is hoping the case will persuade other victims to come forward, which they estimate ranges between 500 and 1,000 individuals. To date, MMF has received more than 70 definitive complaints, 30 of which have opened a file with Ludwig.
The organization's goal is to seek a settlement with the province similar to that which the federal government reached with victims of residential schools.
In September 2007, the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement came into effect to culminate the largest class-action lawsuit in the country to date. The agreement established a multi-billion-dollar fund to help in the recovery of victims of Canada's residential schools.
"MMF's primary interest is that these people be heard and that they have a venue to file a claim appropriately for compensation and other programs that may be available," Carrier said.
The Archdiocese of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba have refused to comment to CBC News on the lawsuit.