Residential Schools Class Action

During the early 1900s (up to the 1950s) the Canadian government, along with various churches, operated residential schools. These schools were designed to take First Nations children away from their traditional Native language and culture. The goal was to teach them English, Christianity, and integrate them into Western society. The schools were plagued by a long history of emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

Students were required to stay in residences on school premises, which were often walled or fortified in some manner, and were often forcibly removed from their homes, parents, and communities. Most students had no contact with their families for up to 10 months at a time due to the distance between their home communities and schools. Often, they did not have contact with their families for years at a time. The locations of the schools were planned deliberately to ensure a "proper distance" from the reserves. They were prohibited from speaking Aboriginal languages, even amongst themselves and outside the classroom, so that English would be successfully learned and their own languages forgotten. Students were subject to often unreasonably severe corporal punishment for speaking Aboriginal languages or practising non-Christian faiths.

In 2005, the Canadian government announced a $1.9 Billion compensation package for the thousands of surviving victims of Residential Schools. Docken and Company has been involved in attempts to seek compensation for victim for several years. Currently they remain involved in ensuring that victims recieve appropriate compensation from the government through their claims process.