Arthur Masse, 92, now retired, was charged with “indecent assault” and then released on parole. He is due in court on July 20.

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The victim who led to Masse’s arrest was 10 years old when the abuse in the Fort Alexander Residential School in Manitobabetween 1968 and 1970.

Indigenous leaders are demanding that the former teachers and coordinators of these residential schools be prosecuted, following the horrific discovery last year of more than 1,300 graves at the sites where these centers once operated, revealing a dark chapter in history colonial Canada.

Approximately 150,000 Indigenous, Métis and Inuit children were forcibly interned in 139 residential schools from the late 1800s to the 1990s across Canada. They have spent months, even years, isolated from their families, their language and their culture.

Many of them suffered physical and sexual abuse. Thousands of people are believed to have died of disease, malnutrition or neglect.

According to British broadcaster CTV NEWS, Canadian Police Sergeant Paul Manaigre said officers interviewed more than 700 people across North America during the investigation, taking more than 75 testimonies from witnesses or victims in the process. course of the investigation.

“Investigators combed through thousands of documents, including student lists, staff lists and quarterly reports to identify potential victims,” he said.

The school opened in 1905 in the community of Fort Alexander, which later became Sagkeeng First Nation, and closed in 1970.

“The victim in this case has been through a lot in the middle of the investigation process and has stood firm to have her voice heard about what happened to her,” the sergeant told a news conference.

“The most important thing for her, on a day like today, is that she was heard,” he added.

In a statement, the Archdiocese of São Bonifacio said it was deeply saddened by the news of the arrest. Read below:

“Each time the heinous crime of sexual abuse is reported, all victims of such abuse, as well as their families and communities, are hurt again,” they said in a statement. “The Archdiocese of Saint-Bonifacio wishes to sympathize with all the victims of sexual abuse, and more particularly those who suffered this abuse while they were students in residential schools run by members of the Catholic Church. We wish to express our shame and sadness. We want to listen, ask for forgiveness and learn how the people of Sagkeeng can allow us to be part of their healing and reconciliation.