The government needs to extend the deadline for residential school survivors’ applications

Estimates show that hundreds of survivors still haven’t filed their claim

New Democrats are calling on the Conservatives to give all residential school survivors the chance to tell their story. With the deadline looming, the NDP is asking Minister of Aboriginal Affairs to provide more time for those eligible to submit their applications to the Independent Assessment Process.

“Today is the final day for residential school survivors to apply for compensation for abuse they suffered. We know that the last three months saw a huge increase in the number of claims”, said NDP critic for Aboriginal Affairs Jean Crowder. “The government needs to ensure that every survivor have the chance to access compensation for the abuse they suffered.”

Last year, the government recognized that many residential school survivors had not yet applied for the Common Experience Payment and extended that deadline for one year for any survivor with a disability, who faced undue hardship or had exceptional circumstances.

“Organizations providing support services estimate that there are hundreds of survivors who still haven’t filed a claim,” said Jonathan Genest-Jourdain, NDP deputy critic for Aboriginal Affairs. “Many of them are too traumatized to respond quickly to a deadline. The Minister should show some compassion for survivors struggling to deal with very difficult situations in their past.”