CANADA
The First Perspective
By John Ward
OTTAWA (CP) - The Supreme Court of Canada laid out what may be far-reaching legal parameters Friday in a case about abuse in a church-run residential school for native children.
In doing so, however, it demolished the appeal brought by a survivor of abusive conditions in the school and sparked disappointment among some.
Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan called it “a very important decision.”
“I think this is a very positive step and probably establishes some pretty important principles that apply well beyond residential schools,” she said.
In a unanimous, 9-0 decision the high court overturned a B.C. Court of Appeal finding that the United Church, which ran the school, has immunity against liability.