Kivalliq/Nunavut

Peter Irniq is a man on a mission while making a number of stops in Nunavut communities this month.

Irniq is the Inuit cultural adviser to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

He will be visiting Rankin Inlet, Chesterfield Inlet, Iqaluit, Iglulik, Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay, which are the communities the TRC will be visiting in March and April.

A total of 19 communities have been selected to hold northern hearings for the TRC.

The hearings will be held throughout the regions of Nunavut, Nunavik, the NWT and the Yukon.

They are scheduled to begin on March 15 in Inukjuak, Que., and end in Watson Lake, Yukon, on May 27.

Rankin will host a truth sharing and private statement gathering on March 22, while Chesterfield Inlet will also host statement gathering on March 23 and a site tour on March 24.

The TRC intends to inform the public about its work and statement-gathering process, and provide survivors with time to reflect and share their experiences in a lead-up to its second national event in Inuvik, NWT, from June 28 to July 1.

Irniq is travelling ahead of the commission to inform people of their options in making statements during the hearings.

"This is an extremely important opportunity for Inuit to tell the commissioners what happened at the residential schools, especially during the 1950s and 1960s," said Irniq.

"People can speak to the commissioners in public, or they can provide private testimony if they do not wish to be heard in public."

Irniq said he still encounters people with stories to tell, but feel they can't come forward.

He said he knows many who have stories from when they were taken away from their parents, as very young people in the 1950s and 1960s, to go to Turquetil Hall Residential School at Sir Joseph Bernier Federal Day School in Chesterfield Inlet.

"There are people who wanted to come to a reunion in July of 1993, but decided not to attend because they were still very angry about what had happened to them.

"We had about 150 people attend the event in Chesterfield Inlet.

"After the meetings I was told there were people who wanted to come and say something, but, because of their anger over what happened to them, they just couldn't.

"I expect some of them will want to take this opportunity to talk to the commissioners."

Irniq said while he does encourage people to come forward and talk about their experiences, it's totally their decision whether to do so.

"It's their choice to speak publicly, privately to the commissioners, or not at all.

"Hopefully, some who could not speak in 1993 will be able to do so now."

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