Statement from the MN–S on Île-à-la-Crosse Survivors settlement with Canada

Press Release

January 29, 2026

On behalf of the Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN–S) government, I would like to express my sincere congratulations to the Île-à-Crosse residential school Survivors Committee and Survivors on the historic announcement today providing further detail about settlement arrangements under the Agreement in Principle with Canada announced last March.

The Île-à-la-Crosse residential school was one of the oldest in the country, remaining in operation for more than a century. During that time, Métis children were taken from their loving homes and forced to attend the institution that took away their identity, culture, values, and language. A class action suit was filed against both Canada and Saskatchewan for their government’s part in the school. Both governments came to the table in 2025 and Agreements in Principle were signed.

While we await the formal approval of those agreements from the Court on March 30 and 31, we would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the more than two decades of the Survivors virtuous persistence to be believed and recognized. The Committee itself has seen some of its members pass during its call for justice and far too many other Survivors have lost their lives in those years. We honour those still with us, pay tribute to those who are not, and offer our continued support as a government to the families as they can truly begin the healing journey.

The full, long-form details of the agreement with Canada will soon be available at ILEXsettlement.ca.

Sincerely,

Glen McCallum, Métis Nation–Saskatchewan President

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About Métis Nation–Saskatchewan:

Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN–S) is built on a foundation of Métis identity, culture, values and language. Empowered by the Métis citizens of Saskatchewan, MN–S works to advance Métis rights and strengthen capacity. MN–S represents the political, socioeconomic, cultural and educational interests of Métis in the province through an elected representative system at local, regional and provincial levels. Social Media Links: @MNSask, @metisnationsask

For media inquiries:

Rena Montgomerie – MN–S Media Relations Manager

r.montgomerie@mns.ca or 306-250-1092 or 1-877-MétisSK

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