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Church urges Anglicans write their MPs about schools
Letter writing renewed after government breaches negotiation protocol

Leanne Larmondin
Website Manager

Toronto
Canadian Anglicans are again being urged to write their members of
Parliament and local newspapers to express their views on the litigation
surrounding residential schools. The move comes after Ottawa released the
results of a federal government-commissioned poll asking Canadians their
opinions on the schools and on who should pay the legal settlements.

In a memo to Anglican bishops and members of the Council of General Synod,
general secretary Jim Boyles says the release of the poll results
represents a departure from the government's own request that the
residential schools issue not be negotiated in the media.

"Mr. (Herb) Gray, the Deputy Prime Minister, has stated forcefully on
several occasions that he does not want to conduct the residential schools
negotiations through the newspapers," wrote Archdeacon Boyles in a memo
released at the same time as he and other church leaders were meeting in
Ottawa with federal government officials for another round of negotiations.

"In our view, the release of the polling results on the eve of the fourth
scheduled meeting of government and church representatives, and
particularly the comments made by Shawn Tupper in the articles represent a
reprehensible breach of this understanding."

Mr. Tupper is director-general of the Office of Indian Residential Schools
Resolution of Canada, which is addressing abuse claims for Ottawa.

He was widely quoted in the country's media saying that polls showed that
most Canadians believe that churches and the federal government should
split or share the cost of compensating native people for residential
school abuses. The poll also suggested that most Canadians believe churches
selling assets to pay the cost of lawsuits is a "perfectly acceptable
result." Nearly 40 per cent of those polled said they do not believe the
Anglican Church of Canada's claims that it risks financial ruin if it
continues to be liable for the litigation.

The Anglican Church has consistently said it is interested in healing and
reconciliation work with indigenous people and has established a healing
fund to help native communities and groups affected by residential schools.
But it believes that Ottawa bear the brunt of the litigation costs since it
was responsible for operating the schools.

The church has also said that it will run out of money by the end of this
year. Archdeacon Boyles has said that the church is spending about $100,000
a month on litigation costs and related matters.

In his recent memo, Archdeacon Boyles noted that the poll results show that
there is little public awareness of the complexity of church structures and
of the drastic effect that would result from churches being forced to sell
assets, including "loss of social programs, loss of community presence,
loss of community facilities."

For months, the church has not requested that Anglicans contact their
members of Parliament, abiding by Ottawa's request that negotiations be
kept private. Now, it is urging Anglicans to contact their elected
representatives, local newspapers or request "informed individuals within
your community to write about the issue."

Links for background information on residential school are provided at the
bottom of this story. There is also a link for those wishing to find their
MPs (names and mailing addresses). Mail may be sent postage-free to any
Member at the following address:
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
_____________

Links:

Residential Schools - Legacy and Response
section of www.anglican.ca website
<http://anglican.ca/ministries/rs/>

Residential Schools Update #10
the most recent update by Archdeacon Jim Boyles on the residential schools
situation, detailing the litigation and the church's finances
<http://anglican.ca/ministry/rs/reports/rsupdate10.html>

How to find your MP by postal code
<http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/house/PostalCode.asp?Source=
SM>

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Leanne Larmondin
Web Manager
Anglican Church of Canada
600 Jarvis St.
Toronto ON  L5E 2G1
(416) 924 9199 ext. 307
ll@anglican.ca
http://www.anglican.ca
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