In this Background Note, the former Academic Director of the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC), Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond (Aki-kwe), responds to the release of select records from the 2015 court case Fontaine v Saskatchewan (Attorney General), 205 SKQB 220. The case absolved the Corporation of Catholic Entities Party to the Indian Residential School Settlement’s (CCEPIRSS), from all obligations under the 2006 Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA).

Dr. Turpel-Lafond asks why the Canadian government did not monitor the Catholic entities more carefully with regard to their fulfillment of the 2006 Settlement Agreement, why they allowed the Catholic entities to renegotiate the Agreement, and why they didn’t appeal the 2015 court case decision more vigorously. Noting the exclusion of Survivors from the 2015 case, despite their bringing the initial court cases, Dr. Turpel-Lafond advocates for complete transparency and accountability on the part of the government and the churches towards Survivors.

The purpose of the Collections created by the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre is to inform Survivors of all of the above, and to advocate for truth, justice and accountability. The collection consists of the Settlement Agreement timeline, the 2015 court case timeline, the 2015 court case featured collection, and the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement and the 2015 Court Case Collection.