Aboriginal Adoption Class Action / 60’s Scoop Class Action
Sixties-Scoop.com – 60s-Scoop.com
Merchant Law Group LLP is pursuing national Sixties Scoop class action litigation against the government seeking compensation on behalf of Indigenous Canadians who were taken from their families and adopted out to white families as part of the so-called Adopt Indian Metis program.
In February 2017, the Trudeau Government announced that the government wishes to pursue negotiations towards a national settlement of the 60’s Scoop litigation. Merchant Law Group launched 60’s Scoop class action litigation in 2009 and our law firm is one of the firms in negotiations with the government to pursue a negotiated settlement.
March 16, 2020 – Update for 60s Scoop Individual Pending Claimants (within the Collectiva process). As of March 16, 2020, an agreement has been announced totemporarily suspend deadlines (for individuals who have already applied to Collectiva and have pending applications) pursuant to the notice posted online at https://sixtiesscoopsettlement.info/ [which is reproduced below]:
The Federal and Provincial public health authorities have issued recommendations and requirements. As a result, our office is operating with a reduced staff for a period of time in an effort to maintain social distancing, limit health risks to our employees, and manage the spread of COVID-19. We do not know how long this situation will last.
Due to these extraordinary circumstances, if you have received a Notice of Intent to Reject or a Reminder Letter (for your Notice of Intent to Reject) or an Official Rejection, there is now an agreement in place that the time limits set out in those notices or letters are suspended, or in other words, are not applicable to your file at this time. For this reason, applicant submissions will not be adversely affected by the situation which is unfolding across the country.
You will be sent a further letter, once the time period for you to either provide additional information or contact Class Counsel has resumed, including a revised deadline for you to respond.
Until you hear again from us, we ask that you not contact our office unless your inquiry requires immediate attention and, if necessary, reach out by email rather than leaving voicemails. Regardless of your method of communication, please expect delays in receiving replies from our office during this exceptional period.
If you are experiencing emotional distress and would like to receive free counselling and crisis intervention services, then please contact the Hope for Wellness Help Line at 1-855-242-3310, or online at www.hopeforwellness.ca
We thank you for your patience and understanding during this challenging time for all Canadians.
2018 Update
LONG FORM COURT NOTICE PDF – which is also available on the proposed Settlement Administrator’s website: Sixties Scoop Settlement
If you submitted a claim form for the Collectiva process prior to the September 2019 deadline and have questions about your pending application to receive compensation from the 60s scoop federal government settlement, please either [i] contact Collectiva for any updates or processing questions at 1-844-287-4270 or sixtiesscoop@collectiva.ca – OR – [ii] contact our law firm at 306-791-2173 if you need legal advice or assistance with the Collectiva process. [Please do not fill-out the contact form below to inquire about pending applications within the Collectiva process.]
Ongoing class action litigation [which is unrelated to the Collectiva process] is being pursued for certain 60s scoop survivors.
Merchant Law Group LLP continues to pursue ongoing 60s Scoop class action litigation before the Courts against several provincial governments on behalf of Indian, First Nations, Métis and other Aboriginal persons who were taken as children from their families and placed for adoption in non-Aboriginal homes. If successful, that litigation against provincial governments may result in further compensation being paid to Sixties Scoop Survivors who qualify under the terms of those class actions.
If you wish to be kept informed on the status of these cases before the Courts and negotiations with the federal government, please join our contact list regarding the Sixties Scoop program (also known as the Lost Girls/Lost Boys class action), by completing the form below. Please note, filling out the form below creates no financial obligation for you.
IF YOU WISH TO JOIN THE CONTACT LIST REGARDING THIS CLASS ACTION, PLEASE COMPLETE THE BELOW FORM. (Please note, providing your contact information creates no lawyer-client relationship or financial obligation. You are not charged any fee or cost for joining the contact list for this class action – our law firm would likely paid a contingency fee from the compensation recovered, if this class action is successful.)