Boarding School Issue Raised Again In Commons

Boarding School Issue Raised Again In Commons

Tuesday, February 20, 2007 at 13:47

Liberal MP Gary Merasty continues to take swipes at the Tories over a broken election promise to former students of the Ile-a-la-Crosse boarding school.

Merasty questioned Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice over the issue in the House of Commons yesterday.

Merasty told the House he attended a gathering of the Ile-a-la-Crosse survivors last week, and the former students are frustrated the Prime Minister will not honour his pledge to compensate them.

Merasty said Stephen Harper “trampled on their spirits” because he was “too negligent” to check to see if their former school qualified for the residential school settlement.

Prentice responded by saying he has encouraged the survivors to formally apply for inclusion in the compensation deal — but added he has also warned them that they don’t qualify.