Stewart Garnett grew up believing he was white.
“I think every job application in my history of jobs has white checked on the box,” Garnet told Host Dennis Ward on Tuesday’s edition of Face to Face.
Garnett was adopted out during the 60’s Scoop to a non-Indigenous family.
They moved around a lot before finally settling in southern California.
“My parents did tell me I was native, I just didn’t understand what it meant.”
Decades would pass before Garnett found out he was originally from Long Plain First Nation in southern Manitoba.
He moved back in June 2015, just days before the Manitoba government officially apologized for its role in the 60’s Scoop.
Garnett would go on to be one of the lead plaintiff’s in Manitoba 60’s Scoop class action lawsuit.
He stood behind Crown Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett when she announced the proposed settlement agreement with survivors.
The recently approved settlement will see financial compensation of $25,000 to $50,000 for survivors.
Garnett said he never had a dollar figure in mind and added survivors never had a chance to provide any input.
“They kinda picked the numbers for us. We didn’t get time to sit down with the attorneys and say ok this is what we want to do,” he said.
Garnett calls the $75-million set aside for lawyers “disturbing.”
$50-million has been set aside in the settlement for a 60’s Scoop Foundation.
“We want to tell Canada we want to help out with addictions and recovery and healing but we want to see results.”
Today, Garnett said he’s personally trying to move on.
He likens the 60’s Scoop to today’s child welfare system.
“I’ve kinda detached myself from 60’s scoop because today as a matter of fact it still goes on. And what makes me better than the kid that’s adopted into a non-Aboriginal family today than years ago.
“I really want to take the time to say this that my adopted family loved me very, very much.”
