The Settlement Agreement contained a mechanism by which parties could request guidance from the courts on interpreting its terms: a Request for Direction. In 2013, Peter MacKay, the Attorney General of Canada, submitted a Request for Direction (RFD#1) to the Court of Queen’s Bench for Saskatchewan. The Corporation of Catholic Entities Party to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement (CCEPIRSS) had deducted unexpected administration expenses, including legal fees, from the $29 million payment to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. MacKay sought guidance from the courts on whether the deductions were permissible. Lawyers for CCEPIRSS began negotiations with the government in the hopes of reaching a settlement.