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canada, history, indigenous-peoples

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was created through the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. From 2008 to 2015, it documented the history and ongoing effects of the residential school system and worked to inform Canadians about the experiences of Survivors, their families, and their communities.

Survivors are Indigenous people who lived through the residential school system. The schools separated children from their families and communities and suppressed their languages, cultures, and identities. Many students also endured neglect and physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.1

The commission gathered nearly 7,000 video statements from Survivors and intergenerational Survivors, their descendants and other relatives who continue to live with the system's effects, along with millions of government and church records.2

Its final report concluded that the residential school system amounted to cultural genocide. Governments and churches separated Indigenous children from their families to break the ties through which their cultures and identities were sustained.3

The TRC issued 94 Calls to Action in 2015 to address the system's legacy in child welfare, education, language and culture, health, and justice, as well as the responsibilities of governments, churches, schools, media, businesses, and other institutions in reconciliation.3

The commission ended its mandate in 2015, but described reconciliation as an ongoing process of repairing relationships and changing institutions. Its records are now held by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, which preserves Survivor testimony and supports continued research and education.1

References

  1. National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. “Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.” https://nctr.ca/about/truth-and-reconciliation-commission-of-canada/. ↩ ↩2

  2. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. “Message from the Commissioners.” https://nctr.ca/about/message-from-the-commissioners/. ↩

  3. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report. 2015. https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2015/trc/IR4-7-2015-eng.pdf. ↩ ↩2