Province to apologize for 60’s Scoop by year’s end

The provincial government hopes to apologize to ’60s Scoop victims within the next two months.

Social Services Minister Paul Merriman said he’s been working with individuals who were impacted to make sure this timeline works for them, by attending talking circles across the province.

“My role there is to listen and try to understand. It’s very heartfelt, it’s very emotional and hard for them to tell their story, but it’s also part of their healing process,” said Merriman.

Thousands of Indigenous children were seized from their birth families and relocated to non-Indigenous homes from the 1950s to the late 1980s.

“We want to work with them on this and we want to make sure the timeline is good for them, but I’m very hopeful that it will be this year,” Merriman told reporters Thursday at the legislature.

The province said a report based on testimony from current sharing circles will be filed and is intended to inform the apology.

NDP Opposition Leader Ryan Meili said the government is only allowing a week after the meetings end to file a report. He says the short timeline has been a source of stress for those involved.

The sharing circles are set to finish on Nov. 24/25.

-with files from Canadian Press