The plaintiffs, who seek $1.3 billion in damages in the class action, maintain they suffered a devastating loss of cultural identity. The federal government has fought tooth and nail against the plaintiffs, arguing it has no liability. “We have faced eight years of litigation and appeals of purely procedural matters and well over a year of effort to get this first ruling on the merits of this claim,” Cooper wrote the justice. “It goes without saying that in the normal course, and absent the consent of both parties, a decision is released when it is scheduled to be released,” Belobaba wrote the parties. While ’60s Scoop claims have been filed in several other provinces, those are independent of, and not nearly as advanced as, the Ontario action launched eight years ago.

Source: National Post February 08, 2017 19:52 UTC