CANADA
CBC News
By Karina Roman, CBC News Posted: Dec 18, 2013
Former students of St. Anne’s Residential School in Fort Albany, Ont., say their dispute with the federal government over disclosure of documents shows true reconciliation is a long way off.
Edmund Metatawabin, 66, is one of several survivors pushing for the government to release documents they say would corroborate their claims of abuse.
His own story is like so many others, but also unique. He is a success story in Fort Albany.
But when he was seven, he had no idea what was in store for him.
In 1956, succumbing to pressure from Catholic priests, Metatawabin’s father dropped him off at St. Anne’s. He was the first of 10 siblings to attend the school.
He went in with his father and was sent to the bathroom while his father talked with the nun. And then he heard a door close.
“I looked out the little window and saw my dad walking by, head down, looking really sad,” said Metatawabin in an interview with CBC News. “I hear, ‘Come out of there, that’s enough, your daddy’s not here to protect you no more!’ As soon as I opened the door, she grabbed my shoulder, gave me a vicious slap across the face from behind. And I hit the wall on the other side.”
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