NCC: Important details on Canada’s apology to the Labrador Residential School Survivors
Press Release
November 20, 2017
News release from Cooper Regel Law Firm, released on November 20:
On Friday November 24th, 2017, in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will deliver the apology for Canada to the Labrador Residential School Survivors.
The following are the planned formal events. Please note that there is invitation-only attendance with respect to the morning breakfast and the feast. The apology itself is open to everyone and begins at 10:30 AM as described below.
Breakfast will be 8:30am at the Royal Canadian Legion for Survivors, Trial Witnesses, Elders and Class Counsel, and will be attended by Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs as well as MP Yvonne Jones.
The apology starts at 10:30am at the Lawrence O’Brien Arts Centre (LOAC) and will be opened with a ceremony. Overflow guests will be at Mealy Mountain Collegiate (MMC) and will be live streamed. This event is open to all former students and families and the public.
The LOAC will be reserved for former students and family. Others will be directed to the MMC.
A Feast will be held at 12:30pm at Mealy Mountain Collegiate (attached to LOAC) and is open to all former students, their families/supports, their counsel, Elders, health supports, the Prime Minister, Minister Bennett, MP Jones and other invited officials.
Health supports will be set up at Hotel North 2 and will also be present at the apology with a separate break-out space.
There will be simultaneous translation into Inuktitut and Innu-Aimun with headsets.
On behalf of all of the lawyers representing survivors over the past 10 years, Steven Cooper noted that:
“This will be a very emotional event for everyone including us lawyers. We have devoted 10 years of our lives to this claim with many periods of doubt as to our ability to win. We knew that we were in the right and that Survivors in Newfoundland and Labrador deserve the same treatment as in the rest of the country, but we also knew that the law was unsettled in this area. We know from many discussions with Survivors over the years that this apology represents the end of the beginning of the reconciliation process. There is much work to do as there is in the rest of the country. Reconciliation is a process and it will be with us for generations. I am personally thrilled that the Prime Minister has taken time to render this apology in person. This will be an opportunity for us to celebrate with the Survivors but also an opportunity to say goodbye.”
Steven Cooper & Alan Regel of Cooper Regel Law Firm and David Rosenfeld of Koskie Minsky, Counsel for the Survivors, will be in attendance with their team and look forward to seeing Survivors, friends and their family.
STEVEN L. COOPER
Partner, Barrister & Solicitor
SHERWOOD PARK, AB
Tel: 780-570-8448
Toll Free: 1-800-994-7477
Fax: 780-570-8467
Steve@CooperRegel.ca
Karie@CooperRegel.ca
ILR5
