The federal government has announced they will pay hundreds of millions of dollars to survivors of the Sixties Scoop of Indigenous children.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett held back tears as she made the announcement in Ottawa Friday morning. Bennett referred to the Sixties Scoop as a dark and painful chapter in Canada’s history.

Indigenous children were removed from their homes by child welfare agencies between the 1960s and 1980s and placed in the care of non-Indigenous families.

Bennett called the settlement a meaningful resolution to a painful legacy.

The agreement provides up to $750 million in compensation for an estimated 20,000 Indigenous survivors.

It also includes an investment of up to $50 million for a foundation aimed at healing and reconciliation for families.

“The survivors have identified the loss of language and culture, and therefore their identity, as the greatest harm. The creation of a foundation will directly address the need for survivors to claim a secure personal cultural identity,” said Bennett in a press release.