Thank you for your help holding the Canadian Catholic Church Accountable
Thank you for being one of the 6000+ people who have signed and supported the petition to have the charitable status of the Catholic Church in Canada suspended until it takes adequate and sincere steps to show accountability for its major role in the Indian Residential School system. Thank you also for sharing the petition – 900 of you so far! – on social media. This plus emailing etc to other colleagues is the key to our voice being heard. If you’d like to share here is the link: https://www.change.org/SuspendCatholicCharityStatus
Since the petition was launched even more damming information has come out about how the Canadian Catholic Church inappropriately, and perhaps even criminally, spent funds legally set aside for survivors on lawyers and “administrative fees” – almost $3 million that didn’t end up going to survivors. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-catholic-church-officials-improperly-redirected-funds-meant-for/ and https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/catholic-church-legal-fees-residential-school-survivors-1.6125066 “Legal and ethics experts interviewed Friday say they're horrified, calling it another example of the Catholic Church's betrayal of survivors”. And to the point of this petition, that misspent money was paid for with charitable donations that every single Canadian subsidized. This is what colonial institutional indifference and arrogance looks like – and lack of accountability.
It has been very moving to read the powerful comments that many of you attached to your signature, particularly those from Indigenous signatories like these:
“I’m from the Cowessess band in Saskatchewan 2nd generation of residential schools First Nation. Stop giving this religion a free ride after killing my family and cousins!”
“For my family who never had a choice..”
“This happened to my Family and my people!”
“Mavis Theresa Goodrider Kearney.. I attended Sacred heart school.”
“I am indigenous this has affected my family for generations”
If you have several minutes, you can also email the federal MPs who have responsibility for this issue:
Prime Minister Trudeau pm@pm.gc.ca
Honorable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue Diane.Lebouthillier@parl.gc.ca
Honorable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services Marc.Miller@parl.gc.ca
With additional signatures I will take this petition to my MP, plus share it with the Prime Minister’s Office and continue reaching out to media. Thank you again for your commitment to Indigenous Peoples in Canada!
David Thomson