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Chapter 11: From Truth to Reconciliation
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From Truth to Reconciliation
Escalating social problems in Aboriginal communities, and conflict between Aboriginal groups and the federal government in the mid 1990s brought greater attention and focus to the destructive legacy of the Residential School Experience. Aboriginal leaders also helped to begin a dialogue between Survivors, the federal government, and everyday Canadians. In 1991, for example, National Chief Phil Fontaine disclosed to the public the abuses he endured while attending Residential School.
In this climate of disclosure and dialogue, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) was created. In response to RCAP's five-volume report that revealed an overwhelming link between the social crisis in Aboriginal communities and the Residential School System, the government developed an "Agenda for Action with First Nations." This agenda led to the creation of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF) as a means to fund community-based healing initiatives over a 10-year period. In turn, the AHF created the Legacy of Hope Foundation (LHF) in 2000. The mandate of the Legacy of Hope Foundation is to educate and raise awareness and understanding of the legacy of residential schools, including the effects and intergenerational impacts on First Nation, Inuit and Metis people, and to support the ongoing healing process of Residential School Survivors. Fulfilling this mandate helps to support reconciliation between generations of Aboriginal peoples, and between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.
As Survivors and advocate groups pressured the government to address Survivors' concerns, a substantial number of class action lawsuits were initiated. After negotiation with key Aboriginal groups and representatives, the Government of Canada implemented the "Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement" in 2007. The agreement provided for restitution and redress through a number of financial initiatives and programs. Processes for the resolution of claims and for the reimbursement of legal expenses were established, and funds were allotted for healing and commemoration initiatives like those conducted on the "National Day of Reconciliation." A Funding Allowance also endowed the Aboriginal Healing Foundation with $125 million for a five-year period. Programs included a "Common Experience Payment" program, a Commemoration Program, and an Advocacy and Public Information program. In addition, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was created. For some Survivors, the various statements of regret, condolence, sorrow and/or apology offered by the churches > and governments for their involvement in the residential school system brought closure.
The silence has been broken, and now it is time to speak. It is time to share. Others have found solace in sharing their stories, while others are still waiting for their voices to be heard. Yet the support and the resources are there. The TRC events, statement-taking, commemoration, and historical initiatives at national archives and research centres all represent Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal means of sharing these voices and stories to all Canadians. These are the stories of those who survived the Residential School Experience, and they are an important part of the collective history of all Canadians.
< Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine, in headdress, watches as Prime Minister Stephen Harper officially apologizes for more than a century of abuse and cultural loss involving residential schools. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)
...statements of regret, condolence, sorrow and/or apology offered by the churches...
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Statement of Apology
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Viola Papequash, Survivor
Gordon's Residential School, Punnichy, Saskatchewan
"I say the prayers with [youth] and I talk about Residential Schools with them. I don't talk about all my experiences, but I do say that I have been to Residential School so maybe youth will understand. They are struggling with a lot of issues, the youth are, and one is identity and self-esteem and being proud of who they are. It hasn't been passed on from their parents because of Residential School.
So I see the younger generation struggling with that, not knowing who they are and not knowing how to be in the world, you know. . . . That's our belief as First Nations, that we don't just think about ourselves. We have to think of the next generation and the ones yet to come. I'll end with that. We have to think about the ones yet to come. They're not here yet, but we have to prepare for them. And preparing means we've got to put down that hurt and that pain we carry now. We can't let that be our life."
Viola Papequash
Gordon's Residential School, Punnichy, Saskatchewan
