Dez Loreen
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Sep 12/05) - The Inuvialuit Regional Corp. has stepped up to the plate for the Inuvialuit people once again, this time in court.

The goal is to ensure that Inuvialuit are included in any settlement of residential school claims by the federal government.

Nellie Cournoyea and Rosemarie Kuptana.

Inuvialuit were not included in a law suit filed in August by the Assembly of First Nations to resolve the residential schools issue.

Nellie Cournoyea, the corporation's chief executive officer, announced in a news release last week that they would also be filing a lawsuit against the federal government.

"We need to make sure that all Inuvialuit people are being recognized as First Nations people in this matter." explained Hugo Prod'Homme, legal counsel for the corporation.

The news release said the corporation will press the lawsuit until all Inuvialuit concerns are addressed.

"I'm glad that we are getting recognized by the government." said residential school survivor Lawrence Thrasher of Tuktoyaktuk.

Thrasher is not alone.

"I feel like I've been treated like a third class citizen my whole life," said Danny Loreen, another Tuktoyaktuk resident. "It's about time we got something from the government."

The corporation will be distributing packages to all Inuvialuit beneficiaries who were affected by residential schools.

"There will be a letter, and a form to fill out, regarding these schools." said Prod'Homme.

"Even if you have filled out a form like this in the past, we ask that you send in your information. That way we have as much information as possible for these legal actions."

The deadline for submitting the forms is Sept. 30. Memories of residential schools still plague the minds of the people who attended them.

"It haunts you. Those are the memories that stay with you, well into adulthood. I've witnessed some pretty horrible things." said Thrasher.

"Isolation can really hurt you when you're young. I went into school when I was five years old. There was a lice scare, and they shaved all of our heads. It was the first time I had ever seen an electric shaver. Kids were yelling, and I thought they were killing them. Of course I was over-reacting. It was my first time being bald."

Through all these years, there is one question that is being asked by many aboriginal people all over the North: "Why is this only happening now?"