Daniel T'seleie
Northern News Services

Ottawa (June 13/05) - In an effort to find a lasting resolution for aboriginal students who attended Canadian residential school, the federal government has appointed former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci to lead discussions on the matter.

Iacobucci will consult with legal counsel for former students and church organizations, and with the Assembly of First Nations (AFN). He will report back to the government of Canada by March 31, 2006.

Along with the May 30 appointment, the Government of Canada signed a Political Agreement with the AFN outlining how they will work together to resolve residential school issues. Canada's Inuit are not represented on the AFN.

There are about 500 Inuit who attended residential schools living in Nunavut today, said Monica Ittusardjuat, project co-ordinator for Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated's Qauma Mobile Treatment Project.

Today there are, "a lot of inter-generational impacts," as a result of the legacy left behind by Canada's residential school system, Ittusardjuat said.