The is mandated with administering a Support Healing Fund to Indigenous Survivors of forced or coerced sterilization, but Survivors must apply by March 31, 2025 to access up to $70,000.
The Healing Support Fund offers vital support for Survivors of forced and coerced sterilization. First Nations, Metis and Inuit Survivors can apply for up to $10,000 for individual healing and $30,000 for assisted reproductive technology such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Further, community projects led by survivors can apply for an additional $30,000.
The Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice is a national not-for-profit organization created to end forced and coerced sterilization, support individual and community healing, and amplify the voices of First Nation, Inuit and Me虂tis Survivors.
Harmony Redsky, the group鈥檚 executive director, said it鈥檚 estimated that at least 15,000 Indigenous women and girls were pressured, coerced or forced to undergo tubal ligation since at least the 1890s, although better data is needed because many Indigenous people who have experienced forced sterilization are unaware they have been a victim of systemic racism.
The Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice maintains a national registry of survivors to create records and collect stories from this dark chapter in Canada鈥檚 History. In order to apply for the Healing Support Fund, survivors must first add themselves to the national registry.
National Gathering For Survivors of Forced and Coerced Sterilization
In addition to the national registry and administering the Healing Support Fund, the Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice is hosting a National Gathering in Ottawa March 7 to 9. The Gathering is meant to bring survivors and those who suspect they might be survivors together to support each other and bring healing strength to each other.
"Weaving Threads of Healing is the theme of our gathering because it is individual threads coming together that build the strength of the collective stories of survivors,鈥� said Board Co-chair Christa Big Canoe. "Each individual thread is important to the weaving process. This is how we build our collective story.鈥�
The National Gathering is an opportunity for survivors to meet each other, share their experiences and amplify their voices while receiving support for healing.
"For many survivors, they are matriarchs, leaders, backbones of their communities despite their experiences with sterilization. The national gathering will provide them with time to focus on their own healing and wellness,鈥� said Board Co-Chair Claudette Dumont Smith. "Often survivors feel alone or that they are the only one; this gathering will be a chance for them to connect with each other and build community.鈥�
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