LMG – The Four Pillars Society

March 18, 2025

The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government (LMG) joins First Nations across the country in recognizing the Federal Court’s approval of the Band Reparations Class Action lawsuit. This class action, launched in 2015, sought to hold the Government of Canada accountable for the collective harm suffered by First Nations due to the loss of language and culture. In 2016, LMG formally opted into the lawsuit, which reached a settlement in 2023.

Through this settlement, Canada will transfer $2.8 billion into an Indigenous-led trust enabling participating communities, including Listuguj, to invest in the revitalization of Indigenous languages, culture, heritage, and wellness. This marks the first time Canada has provided compensation to First Nations as a collective for the cultural and linguistic losses inflicted by the residential school system.

These settlement funds are currently being invested and distributed by an Indigenous-led trust known as The Four Pillars Society (FPS); a not-for-profit organization that has been created for the sole purpose of investing and distributing the $2.8 billion settlement across the 325 First Nations communities who opted into this lawsuit.

Each community, including Listuguj, is eligible to receive one-time planning funds to develop a funding proposal aligned with the Four Pillars identified in the settlement:

• Revival and protection of Indigenous languages
• Revival and protection of Indigenous cultures
• Protection and promotion of heritage
• Wellness for Indigenous community members

These proposals will be reviewed by the Four Pillars Society and used to distribute the Initial Kick-Start Funds. Over the next 5 years, the LMG will receive $2.8 million to be allocated to projects identified in the funding proposal. The Four Pillars Society Trust is structured to dissolve in 20 years, at which time the remaining settlement funds will be dispersed equally among the 325 First Nations communities.

The LMG is committed to ensuring these funds are used to strengthen cultural identity, community resiliency, and build a stronger future for the next seven generations. Community engagement sessions will be taking place April 1 – 4, 2025. More details on these sessions will be released soon.

More information regarding the Band Reparations Class Action can be found at: https://fps-lchw.ca/ https://bandreparations.ca/

We look forward to hearing from community members and making this project a success together!

NT4