Truth, healing and reconciliation
Commission makes 94 recommendations in final report
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
RANKIN INLET/OTTAWA
Thousands attended the closing event of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Ottawa this past week.
Rankin Inlet's Sam Tutanuak, left, Kivalliq elder Peter Irniq and Rankin's Noel Kaludjak attended the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final event this past week in Ottawa. - photo courtesy of Sam Tutanuak |
The commission, led by Justice Murray Sinclair, Dr. Marie Wilson and Chief Wilton Littlechild, heard the stories of more than 6,700 residential-school survivors while examining the system's history during the past six years.
In its final gathering, Sinclair put forth 94 recommendations by the commission and referred to the tragic history of residential schools as cultural genocide.
The summary of the commission's final report is almost 400 pages in itself.
The official report will be released in its entirety later this year.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper attended the closing ceremony, but remains non-committal on the recommendations.
Harper also, as of yet, has not publicly accepted the term "cultural genocide" as being accurate, nor has he given full commitment to implementing the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Another class-action lawsuit focused on the residential-school history was certified by the Federal Court in Vancouver this past week, one day after the commission's recommendations were known.
The lawsuit represents indigenous students who attended residential school in the day, but were able to return to their homes at night.
Being able to go home at night led to this group of residential school students being known as day scholars.
More than 300 survivors have been identified to date in the two aboriginal bands in British Columbia to launch the lawsuit, but that number is expected to grow.
The lawsuit also seeks compensation for the children of survivors as well as their member bands.
It is not known yet if the federal government plans to appeal the court's decision.
Kivalliq Counselling and Support Services executive director Noel Kaludjak participated in a number of commission events, including the final gathering in Ottawa.
Kaludjak said the final event was very emotional.
He said there is now a lot of hope for a better future for aboriginal people as a result of the commission's work.
"There's real hope the Government of Canada will do more to recognize what happened and properly address the situation to help the healing process," said Kaludjak.
"The people of this country, whose families did not attend residential school, now understand it more.
"They have more compassion now, and many of them feel sorry for the kids who were sent to residential school and the disastrous effect it had on their parents and the families that were broken.
"I could really feel heartfelt compassion among the people who were marching and listening to what was being said during the event."
Kaludjak said he could feel the energy of many survivors, and their families, from finally being heard and understood by many Canadians.
He said the whole world knows and believes the residential-school story now and, for the first time, there are feelings of satisfaction and optimism going forward.
"Maybe now their kids and grandkids will be treated better.
"The big thing I hear from the recommendations is for the children to have better schools and education, so they can be part of the leading force in running Canada.
"All in all, the commission did an excellent job and the commissioners cared about everyone who told their story.
"It really hit me hard to hear about the children who were taken to residential school and died there."
Kaludjak would like to see something similar to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, but on a smaller scale, be done in Inuktitut and focus on Nunavummiut.
He said he has met many people who have not told their story, but have the desire to do so.
"The Government of Nunavut needs to find a way to give our people in the North a chance to tell their story.
"You look at Chesterfield Inlet, for example, and some of those stories have been told, but some have not.
"There's still many people in Nunavut who want to tell their story and be heard.
"That would be only fair for all of our survivors up North."
Kaludjak said while it's vitally important to have better education for aboriginal children, it's equally important to heal families from the effects of residential school.
He said you can improve education, but that won't be totally effective as long as families go hungry, are overcrowded at home, and are still in deep pain from their residential-school experience.
"You have to start with the families because you have to have strong families in order for the schools to work.
"There is still so much work to do going forward.
"There are some people who will never forgive but we have to heal if we're going to move on successfully from this point.
"It's a process that still has a long way to go but we are making progress."
