Identity, belonging, purpose, key to kids well-being, says Sixties Scoop survivor

The woman who led thousands of Indigenous adoptees to a hard-won victory in the Sixties Scoop lawsuit says she could not have done it if she had not reconnected with her roots.

Marcia Brown Martelwas the lead plaintiff in an eight-year court battle that ended Feb. 14, when a judge said that Canadabreached its duty of care to 16,000 First Nations children in Ontario who were placed in non-Indigenous care by child welfare agencies between 1965 and 1984.

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"Ineeded to be part of my communityto do this," Brown Martel told reporters in Thunder Bay, a week after the court victory. "It wouldn't have happened otherwise, because I knew nothing of my people other than what I learned in books. I could not have done this from the outside."

"Even though, genetically, I am an Indigenous person of this land, I needed to be part of my community to do this," she said.

'A community worthy of our children'

Brown Martel, who is chief of Beaverhouse First Nation, gave the opening address at an Indigenous youth services forum in Thunder Bay, on Tuesday.

"When I speak of my own community, as a leader, this is what I say: that I want to build a community worthy of our children and our grandchildren, that's my goal," she said.

Part of that is ensuring that children growing up now have the experiences that she, and other children of the Sixties Scoop lost when they were taken away from their homes and families.

"Children [need to] have a sense of belonging, a sense if identity, to have a sense of self-worth and to be able to say they have a purpose," she said.

The Sixties Scoop class action suit was seeking $1.3 billion in damages. Last week's ruling did not deal with damages. A court is expected to hear arguments on the appropriate amount to be paid out to victimsafter the 30-day appeal period is up.

Minister of Indigenous Affairs Carolyn Bennett told CBC News the government does not intend to appeal the ruling.

• 'We want to fix this': Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett on Sixties Scoop ruling