A Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Canada

In June 2008, the Canadian government undertook an effort to understand the history, abuses and intergenerational impact of the Indian Residential School (IRS) system that operated in Canada for over 100 years. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) seeks to provide survivors and others affected by the IRS system a safe and culturally relevant opportunity to share their stories. By educating the entire country on the realities of this little understood period of its history, it hopes to build common understanding and better relations among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.

Created in 1874, the IRS system consisted of a nation-wide network of church- and state-run schools focused on separating First Nation, Inuit, and Métis children from their cultural heritage. At its height from 1920 into the 1960s, attendance was mandatory for aboriginal children aged 7 to 15. Priests and Indian Agents forcibly removed many children from their families and sent them to the schools. It is estimated that more than 150,000 children went through these schools.

At the schools, the children were severely punished if they used their native language or any other cultural expression. The schools often lacked basics such as adequate food and medical services. Overcrowded conditions contributed to the spread of disease. Some experts estimate that the mortality rate for residential school students was as high as 40%. Furthermore, children were often subjected to severe physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.

The Canadian TRC is part of a court-approved settlement agreement meant to address much of the harm done through the IRS system. Negotiated by legal counsel for former students, the Canadian government, churches that ran residential schools (Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and United Church of Canada), the Assembly of First Nations and other Aboriginal organizations, the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) went into effect in September 2007. The agreement included standard settlement payments for all survivors, a process for compensation for sexual and physical abuse, healing activities, commemoration activities, and the TRC.

The TRC mandate is to pursue the following goals:

Acknowledge Residential School experiences, impacts and consequences
Provide a holistic, culturally appropriate and safe setting for former students, their families and communities as they come forward to the Commission
Witness, support, promote and facilitate truth and reconciliation events at both the national and the community level
Promote awareness and public education of Canadians about the IRS systems and its impacts
Identify sources and create as complete an historical record as possible of the IRS system and legacy. The record shall be preserved and made accessible to the public for future study and use
Produce and submit to the Parties of the Agreement a report including recommendations to the Government of Canada Concerning the IRS system and experience including: the history, purpose, operation and supervision of the IRS system, the effect and consequences of IRS (including systemic harm, intergenerational consequences and the impact on human dignity) and the ongoing legacy of the residential schools

In its investigative role, the TRC will provide a forum for all survivors and others affected by the IRS system to tell their stories. At the same time, it will request documents from relevant sources to in order to build as complete a historical record as possible. Within this work, the commission is mandated to incorporate three event components:

Seven national events will be completed in the first two years of work to involve the Canadian public in the process in order to meet the broader education goals outlined in the mandate
Community events will be designed by local communities to meet the needs of former students, their families, and the communities where these schools existed
Individual statement-taking/truth-telling will take place in cultural sensitive and supportive ways to allow those interested to file a personal statement.

The TRC will file a report on its findings within two years of beginning work with the goal of constructing a research centre to house the statements and other documentation gathered throughout the process. This centre will continue to take individual statements beyond the five-year mandate of the commission and ensure that the information is easily accessible for survivors and their families, the general public, researchers, and educators wishing to include this information in curricula development.

The Canadian TRC consists of three commissioners supported by a secretariat with an executive director reporting to the commissioners. Also, an IRS Survivor Committee consisting of 10 representatives from aboriginal and survivor groups will provide advice the commissioners on issues such as:

Defining community
Developing criteria for the national and community events
Designing the commemoration process
Addressing other issues that may arise.

Regional liaisons will coordinate communication between the commissioners and local communities.

The three commissioners were appointed in May 2008 from a pool of candidates nominated by former students, Aboriginal organizations, churches, and the government with the Assembly of Nations being consulted on the final decision. The three commissioners are:

Commissioner Claudette Dumont Smith, is a member of the First Nations Algonquin community of Kitigan Zibi, near Maniwaki, Québec. She has extensive background in Aboriginal health issues and has served as Senior Health Advisor to the Native Women’s Association of Canada. She is also a former member of the Aboriginal Circle of the Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women, Co-Commissioner on the National Aboriginal Child Care Commission and a member of the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee in Ontario.
Commissioner Jane Brewin Morley is a lawyer, mediator and public policy advisor. In 2007, she served as an adjudicator for the Independent Assessment Program under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.
Justice Harry S. LaForme, had been appointed as chair of the Commission in May 2008, but resigned his position as of 20 October.

______________________________

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November 2008

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Navigation Previous Editions 2008 November 2008 Edition A Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Canada	Info A Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Canada In June 2008, the Canadian government undertook an effort to understand the history, abuses and intergenerational impact of the Indian Residential School (IRS) system that operated in Canada for over 100 years. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) seeks to provide survivors and others affected by the IRS system a safe and culturally relevant opportunity to share their stories. By educating the entire country on the realities of this little understood period of its history, it hopes to build common understanding and better relations among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. Created in 1874, the IRS system consisted of a nation-wide network of church- and state-run schools focused on separating First Nation, Inuit, and Métis children from their cultural heritage. At its height from 1920 into the 1960s, attendance was mandatory for aboriginal children aged 7 to 15. Priests and Indian Agents forcibly removed many children from their families and sent them to the schools. It is estimated that more than 150,000 children went through these schools. At the schools, the children were severely punished if they used their native language or any other cultural expression. The schools often lacked basics such as adequate food and medical services. Overcrowded conditions contributed to the spread of disease. Some experts estimate that the mortality rate for residential school students was as high as 40%. Furthermore, children were often subjected to severe physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The Canadian TRC is part of a court-approved settlement agreement meant to address much of the harm done through the IRS system. Negotiated by legal counsel for former students, the Canadian government, churches that ran residential schools (Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and United Church of Canada), the Assembly of First Nations and other Aboriginal organizations, the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) went into effect in September 2007. The agreement included standard settlement payments for all survivors, a process for compensation for sexual and physical abuse, healing activities, commemoration activities, and the TRC. The TRC mandate is to pursue the following goals: Acknowledge Residential School experiences, impacts and consequences Provide a holistic, culturally appropriate and safe setting for former students, their families and communities as they come forward to the Commission Witness, support, promote and facilitate truth and reconciliation events at both the national and the community level Promote awareness and public education of Canadians about the IRS systems and its impacts Identify sources and create as complete an historical record as possible of the IRS system and legacy. The record shall be preserved and made accessible to the public for future study and use Produce and submit to the Parties of the Agreement a report including recommendations to the Government of Canada Concerning the IRS system and experience including: the history, purpose, operation and supervision of the IRS system, the effect and consequences of IRS (including systemic harm, intergenerational consequences and the impact on human dignity) and the ongoing legacy of the residential schools In its investigative role, the TRC will provide a forum for all survivors and others affected by the IRS system to tell their stories. At the same time, it will request documents from relevant sources to in order to build as complete a historical record as possible. Within this work, the commission is mandated to incorporate three event components: Seven national events will be completed in the first two years of work to involve the Canadian public in the process in order to meet the broader education goals outlined in the mandate Community events will be designed by local communities to meet the needs of former students, their families, and the communities where these schools existed Individual statement-taking/truth-telling will take place in cultural sensitive and supportive ways to allow those interested to file a personal statement. The TRC will file a report on its findings within two years of beginning work with the goal of constructing a research centre to house the statements and other documentation gathered throughout the process. This centre will continue to take individual statements beyond the five-year mandate of the commission and ensure that the information is easily accessible for survivors and their families, the general public, researchers, and educators wishing to include this information in curricula development. The Canadian TRC consists of three commissioners supported by a secretariat with an executive director reporting to the commissioners. Also, an IRS Survivor Committee consisting of 10 representatives from aboriginal and survivor groups will provide advice the commissioners on issues such as: Defining community Developing criteria for the national and community events Designing the commemoration process Addressing other issues that may arise. Regional liaisons will coordinate communication between the commissioners and local communities. The three commissioners were appointed in May 2008 from a pool of candidates nominated by former students, Aboriginal organizations, churches, and the government with the Assembly of Nations being consulted on the final decision. The three commissioners are: Commissioner Claudette Dumont Smith, is a member of the First Nations Algonquin community of Kitigan Zibi, near Maniwaki, Québec. She has extensive background in Aboriginal health issues and has served as Senior Health Advisor to the Native Women’s Association of Canada. She is also a former member of the Aboriginal Circle of the Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women, Co-Commissioner on the National Aboriginal Child Care Commission and a member of the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee in Ontario. Commissioner Jane Brewin Morley is a lawyer, mediator and public policy advisor. In 2007, she served as an adjudicator for the Independent Assessment Program under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Justice Harry S. LaForme, had been appointed as chair of the Commission in May 2008, but resigned his position as of 20 October. ______________________________ Resources used: “After the Apology” This Magazine. Septermber-October 2008. By Catherin Rolfsen. Backgrounder. Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. International Center for Transitional Justice. Justice LaForme chosen to chair Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Anglican Journal. 28 April 2008. by Marites N. Sison. Mandate for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Meet the TRC Commissioners. Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Overview. Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Truth and Reconciliation Process: What does it mean to you? Multimedia files from CBC Television. 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