A Métis National Council delegation, including representatives from Metis Nation-Saskatchewan, is traveling to Rome to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican. They will discuss the legacy of the residential school system in Canada and its impact on the Metis Nation.

Member of the Survivors of the Ile-a-la-Crosse Boarding School Steering Committee, Antoinette LaFleur, believes it’s important for their healing journey to make sure the Church understands exactly what happened to them under its watch. Elder Emilien Janvier, from the same boarding school, is hoping for an apology from the Catholic Church. MN-S Vice President Michelle LeClair is also part of the contingency.

They will speak with the Pope on April 1st at 5 a.m. Saskatchewan time. It will be livestreamed on the Metis National Council’s Facebook page.

A news release from the MN-S says Canadians have been facing the horrific details of the residential school system, but the Metis experience remains largely forgotten and ignored, particularly by the federal government. Survivors and families from the Ile-a-la-Crosse and Timber Bay residential schools were denied the Indian Residential School Settlements and apologies that other survivors received.