Joan Jack, an Indigenous lawyer from Manitoba, has won a lawsuit against Gowling WLG, the law firm that led a class-action suit for day school survivors, after alleging she wasn't compensated for her work on the $1.47-billion settlement reached in 2019. The Court of King's Bench ruled in Jack’s favor on August 31, 2026, with damages to be determined later. Jack had initiated the original day school student claim and worked on it for seven years before Gowling WLG took over as court-approved counsel in 2016.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-23,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Indigenous lawyer wins lawsuit against firm that led class-action for day school survivors
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that → win → survivors
Of course I want to be paid': Joan Jack
Joan Jack summed up her six-year legal saga with one word, using it several times: vindication.
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Jack → want → it
The Manitoba Indigenous lawyer filed a lawsuit in 2020 against a firm that represented survivors of federal Indian day schools, alleging she had not been compensated for years of her work on the class-action case — a $1.47-billion settlement reached in 2019.
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she → file → 2019
Jack filed the original statement of claim for the Indian day school lawsuit against Canada in 2009.
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Jack → file → 2009
In 2016, multinational law firm Gowling WLG became the court-approved counsel for the historic class-action suit.
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WLG → become → suit
The 2019 settlement included $55 million in legal fees for Gowling.
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settlement → include → Gowling
In her 2020 statement of claim against Gowling, Jack alleged the firm promised remuneration for her work in the settlement process.
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firm → allege → process
That never happened, her claim alleged.
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claim → happen → ?
"If Gowling had intended to do anything other than what they've done, they would have done that, and they haven't, so I was forced to sue," Jack said in an interview on Tuesday.
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Jack → intend → Tuesday
In a 46-page decision issued on Aug. 31, 2026, Court of King's Bench Justice Shauna McCarthy ruled in favour of Jack.
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McCarthy → issue → Jack
The damages due from Gowling will be determined at a subsequent hearing, the decision states.
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decision → determine → hearing
“I feel vindicated for sure.
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I → feel → ?
I mean, I've been ridiculed.
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I → mean → ?
I've been ostracized.
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I → ostracize → ?
Some pretty important First Nations people have said nasty things about me," said Jack, originally from Berens River First Nation on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg who now lives in British Columbia.
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who → say → Columbia
"So to have the judge in the Court of King's Bench say, ‘Actually, no, this is wrong, and the only question here is the amount of damages,’ that's great.
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that → have → damages
It's very clear, I wasn't treated properly."
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I → treat → ?
CBC News has reached out to Gowling WLG for comment on the decision but has not yet heard back.
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News → reach → decision
Nearly 200,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit were forced to attend nearly 700 federally operated day schools for more than a century, beginning in the 1920s.
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Nations → force → 1920s
They were shut out of the $1.9-billion Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement brokered in 2006.
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They → shut → 2006
Unlike residential school survivors, day school students remained in their communities and went home in the evenings, but they suffered similar abuse and faced cultural assimilation.
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they → remain → assimilation
In her 2020 statement of claim against Gowling, Jack said she was responsible for initiating the original day school student claim, and spent years making sure survivors got justice.
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survivors → say → justice
Indian day school survivors launch $15B lawsuit
Proposed Indian day school settlement to leave out lawyer who filed lawsuit
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who → launch → lawsuit
The original lead plaintiff, Garry McLean from Lake Manitoba First Nation, retained Jack as his lawyer in 2008, the claim said.
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claim → retain → 2008
Jack's claim said she worked on the case for the next seven years, knowing it was risky.
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it → say → years
Her own small firm was bankrupted in the process.
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firm → bankrupt → process
She travelled across the country, connecting with thousands of survivors and created a database of their information.
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She → travel → information
She says that information was essential to the final settlement.
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information → say → settlement
Despite the ruling in her favour, Jack said she expects Gowling "to appeal and keep fighting."
"You don't want to get too excited, like this is a long, long haul.
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this → say → favour
So … don't count your chickens before they're hatched," she said.
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she → count → chickens
But "the win is the win" for now, she added, saying she sent the decision to a friend who is a long-serving lawyer, to get his reaction.
"
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who → add → reaction
He texted me back and he said, ‘This is a great day, Joan.’
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This → texte → me
He used the word that I was feeling — he said ‘you've been vindicated.’
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you → use → that
Vindicated, you know?”
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you → vindicate → ?
Children at Lake Manitoba Indian day school were strapped for speaking their language, say former students
Residential schools, day schools, day scholars: what you need to know
Even in the case of an appeal, she's in a strong position, the friend told her.
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friend → strap → her
“If this is somebody senior, who has done a lot of litigation, thinking that I should be happy, I guess I'll be a little bit happy,” Jack said.
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Jack → do → litigation
"So often, we as First Nations, Indigenous people, were wronged, you know, legally.
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you → wrong → Nations
The Canadian state still determines who is registered as an Indian or not.
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who → determine → Indian
That's legalized racism.
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That → legalize → ?
We live in that reality.
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We → live → reality
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
