Presenting UBC’s expression of reconciliation with Justice Murray Sinclair, Chair of TRC; Dr Marie Wilson, TRC Commissioner; Madeleine Basile and Eugene Arcand, both from The Indian Residential School Survivor Committee. Photo credit: Melissa Knapp
I had the privilege of speaking at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission(TRC) BC National Event on September 18, 2013.
The event was the sixth of seven National Events mandated by the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. TRC events provide an important opportunity for those affected by the schools to share their experiences with the Commission and the public. They also offer Canadians a chance to bear witness to the legacy of the schools and to celebrate Aboriginal culture.
The University of British Columbia is dedicated to developing a better understanding of Indian Residential School histories, the policies that guided the operations of the schools, and their effects upon individuals and communities, and has been working with the Indian Residential School Survivors Society and Reconciliation Canada to develop meaningful approaches. We believe that an acknowledgement and understanding of this history is necessary to the development of more functional and productive dialogues about our future that benefit all Canadians. Read more.