Half of the Anglican Church of Canada’s 30 dioceses have now ratified an agreement on residential schools reached last November between the church and the federal government.
The agreement, which must be ratified by all the dioceses sets up a $25-million fund from which compensation for proven claims of sexual and physical abuse at the church-operated native residential schools will be paid. General Synod and all the dioceses are expected to contribute to the fund.
If compensation exceeds $25 million, the federal government will pay the difference and if it falls short of that amount, the money would be returned to the dioceses.
To date no Anglican diocese has rejected ratification of the agreement.
Dioceses that have ratified are:
- Athabasca
- British Columbia
- Caledonia
- Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador (approval in principle)
- Edmonton
- Keewatin
- Kootenay
- Montreal
- Moosonee
- Quebec
- Rupert’s Land
- Saskatchewan
- Saskatoon
- Yukon
Dioceses decide for themselves how they will raise their share of their contribution to the settlement fund.
Archdeacon Jim Boyles, General Secretary of General Synod and the chief negotiator with the federal government, has said the church hopes that all the dioceses will have ratified the agreement by the middle of February.
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Contact: Vianney (Sam) Carriere, Acting Director, Communications, 416-924-9199 ext. 306; 416-540-3653 (Cell); [email protected]