The Adjudication Secretariat

The Independent Assessment Process is a component of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (the Settlement Agreement). The Settlement Agreement was created with the intention of reaching a fair, comprehensive, and lasting resolution of the legacy of Indian Residential Schools (IRS).

In 2005 the Honourable Frank Iacobucci was appointed as Canada’s representative to lead discussions into resolving the legacy of residential schools with the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit representatives, legal counsel for former students, and legal counsel for Church entities. These discussions led to an Agreement in Principle in November 2005, and the announcement of the Settlement Agreement on May 10, 2006. The Settlement Agreement was approved through court orders in nine jurisdictions on March 21, 2007, and came into effect on September 19, 2007.

There are five major components to the Settlement Agreement: the Common Experience Payment (CEP), the Independent Assessment Process (IAP), the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, funding for the Commemoration, and funding for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. The first two components- the CEP and IAP- are designed to provide individualized compensation; while the latter three provide funding for collective measures that address the legacy of Indian Residential Schools.

As part of the Settlement Agreement, the IAP was developed to provide a non-adversarial adjudication of individual claims of abuse arising from or connected to the Indian Residential Schools system. The IAP is intended to resolve claims of sexual and serious physical abuse, as well as other wrongful acts that caused serious psychological consequences to the claimant.

Further information on the Independent Assessment Process can be found in the Settlement Agreement, which can be found online at: www.residentialschoolsettlement.ca/settlement.html