The historical treatment of Aboriginal peoples in these other countries has strong parallels to what happened to Aboriginal peoples in Canada. On September 22, 2014, at the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (wcip) in New York, the United Nations General Assembly adopted an action-oriented “Outcome Document” to guide the implementation of the Declaration. The centre is independent from government. Indigenous peoples also have the right to traditional medicines and to maintain their traditional health practices.103, The Numbered Treaties also established additional legal obligations concerning Aboriginal health and wellness.104 He said silence is a concept, and can be used as a consequence for a wrong action or to teach a lesson. Complaints often were ignored. They interviewed Survivors and documented the TRC event. The Commission notes that throughout the residential school era, Catholic and Protestant religious schools taught students only about their own religions. The residential school story is complicated. I’m not here to defend my father so much, as to speak part of the truth about the kind of person my father was. They can bring up feelings of anger, grief, shame, guilt, and denial. And, and that was something that took me away from the school, and just to, it was a relief.495, Paul Andrew spent seven years at Grollier Hall in Inuvik. Produce a report with recommendations for full implementation of these international mechanisms as a reconciliation framework for Canadian archives. In contrast, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples understand Treaties as a sacred obligation that commits both parties to maintain respectful relationships and share lands and resources equitably. He ended up living out his life as a residential school principal in British Columbia.582 A number of former residential school staff came to the Commission to speak not only about their perspectives on the time they spent at the schools, but also about their struggles to come to terms with their own past. Other records that are relevant to the history and legacy of the residential school system are scattered across the country in provincial, territorial, municipal, and local archives, as well as in government departments and agencies that were not parties to the Settlement Agreement. Under this system—which amounted to institutionalized child labour—students were in class for half the day and in what was supposed to be vocational training for the other half. And so our identity was immediately taken away when we entered those schools.37, In addition to the emotional and psychological damage they inflicted, one of the most far-reaching and devastating legacies of residential schools has been their impact on the educational and economic success of Aboriginal people. The effects of this spiritual violence have been profound and did not end with the schools. The decision to continue to rely on the churches to administer the schools on a day-today basis had serious consequences. Victim Services: Institutional and Non-Governmental Organizations, 7. Survivors also told us how they smiled and laughed and couldn’t contain their tears of joy when they looked out the window and saw their parents or grandparents coming to visit them or take them away from the school.223 Nobody was allowed near the fence. Raymond Cutknife recalled that when he attended the Hobbema school in Alberta, he “lived with fear.”29 In Australia, the government has set a timeline for closing the gap in health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal citizens. The disabilities associated with FASD include memory impairments, problems with judgment and abstract reasoning, and poor adaptive functioning.142 In France, for example, a law has been proposed which would criminalize this form of harassment and impose fines against men who catcall women. Canada’s denial of First Nations’ land rights falls well short of the minimum standards affirmed by the Declaration and demonstrates a clear failure by Canada to implement its human rights obligations. Developing this narrative through public dialogue can strengthen civic capacity for accountability and so do justice to victims, not just in the legal sense, but also in terms of restoring human dignity, nurturing mutual respect, and supporting healing. A disproportionately high number of northern parents are residential school Survivors or intergenerational Survivors. Arthur Plint worked as a boys’ supervisor at the Alberni residential school for two five-year periods between 1948 and 1968. Clara Quisess said that at the Fort Albany school in Ontario, older girls would threaten the younger ones with knives.488 She was the school governess as early as 1894, and was paid $200 a year.634 She was eighty-seven years old, still here. In 2012, the documentary was presented at the Youth Dialogue during the TRC’s National Event in Saskatchewan.127 The Commission’s proceedings themselves constitute an oral history record, duly witnessed by all those in attendance. The Settlement Agreement and the formal apology by Prime Minister Stephen Harper represent the culmination of years of political struggle, changes in societal attitudes, court decisions, and negotiation. Four young Aboriginal women, three of whom were sisters, had been hired to work at the Fort George, Québec, school in 1953.651 Writing about the Roman Catholic foundations of Aboriginal land claims in Canada, historian Jennifer Reid explains why the Doctrine remains relevant today. That policy simply stated, “The principal shall take prompt action to effect the return to school of any truant pupil, and shall report promptly to the Superintendent, Indian Agency, every case of truancy.”551 This intended celebration can be an opportunity for Canadians to take stock of the past, celebrating the country’s accomplishments without shirking responsibility for its failures. Later efforts in New France met with no greater success.77 “Now we have our language still, we have our ceremonies, we have our elders, and we have to revitalize those ceremonies and the respect for our people not only within Canadian society but even within our own peoples.”674. I so wish that he could have seen this—the final event of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission—so that he could see how this country has changed. In part, this has happened because of a lack of adequate funding for culturally appropriate supports that would allow children to remain safely with their families, or to allow children to be placed in foster or adoptive environments that are culturally appropriate and capable of giving children a sense of identity, self-respect, and self-worth. Asma Antoine, the project coordinator, reported that the group learned the importance of, knowing that when speaking to a Survivor … This video shows that when adults think of a baby as a boy, they give the baby toy vehicles, action figures or construction equipment, and when they consider the baby to be a girl they offer her dolls and kitchen sets. And I also think it would be valuable, when it’s appropriate … In the north we find prices sky high.” John A. After two years, Strain purchased a used truck and took the students on a boxing tour of Vancouver Island. We discussed earlier how students must not only learn the truth about what happened in residential schools, but also understand the ethical dimensions of this history. “I said to myself, ‘How am I going to express myself? Of the seventy-four recorded deaths of Aboriginal children in care, thirteen were due to accidents, twelve children committed suicide, and ten children were the victims of homicide.24 “There are good people [teachers] who don’t deserve to be labeled,” he said.197. Sexual harassment is a legal term that refers to unsolicited verbal or physical behaviour of a sexual nature (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018). In announcing the construction of the three initial industrial schools, Indian Commissioner Edgar Dewdney said that although the starting costs would be high, he could see no reason why the schools would not be largely self-supporting in a few years, due to the skills in farming, raising stock, and trades that were being taught to the students.119 The principal admitted to having beaten the boy with the whip, but denied breaking the boy’s skin.410, Abusive punishment often prompted children to run away. He further explained that archives “are a means of guaranteeing that the voices of victims will not be lost, and they contribute to a culture of memorialisation and remembrance. We would not suggest that the repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery necessarily gives rise to the invalidation of Crown sovereignty. We can probably forgive, but we can never forget our history.” The current law regarding young people accused of crimes is the Youth Criminal Justice Act, which was introduced in 2002. Many of our men who are still working with First Nations have attended various truth and reconciliation sessions as well as Returning to Spirit sessions, hoping to bring about healing for all concerned. Wallace Hahawahi’s father was reported as being “very indignant” at the prospect of sending his son back to the Brandon school in 1936. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with the national Aboriginal organizations, to revise the information kit for newcomers to Canada and its citizenship test to reflect a more inclusive history of the diverse Aboriginal peoples of Canada, including information about the Treaties and the history of residential schools. Tuberculosis among Aboriginal people largely was ignored unless it threatened the general Canadian population.379 Provide the necessary funding to post-secondary institutions to educate teachers on how to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms. First Nations never asked for residential schools as part of the Treaty process, and neither did the government suggest that such schools would be established. The churches and the governments didn’t come one day and say, “Hey, you know, we did something wrong and we’re sorry. We call upon the federal government to work with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, churches, Aboriginal communities, former residential school students, and current landowners to develop and implement strategies and procedures for the ongoing identification, documentation, maintenance, commemoration, and protection of residential school cemeteries or other sites at which residential school children were buried. Even after that, he and his friends would speak to each other when they thought no one else could hear them. During the same period, Bryce recommended that the federal government take over all the He estimated that, on this basis, he rejected approximately 100 applications for discharge a year.134, In 1920, the Indian Act was amended to allow the government to compel any First Nations child to attend residential school. Museums and cultural institutions [should] adopt ethical guidelines governing all aspects of collection, disposition, display and interpretation of artifacts related to Aboriginal culture and heritage, including the following: Involving Aboriginal people in drafting, endorsing and implementing the guidelines; Creating inventories of relevant holdings and making such inventories freely accessible to Aboriginal people; Cataloguing and designating appropriate use and display of relevant holdings; Repatriating, on request, objects that are sacred or integral to the history and continuity of particular nations and communities; Returning human remains to the family, community or nation of origin, on request, or consulting with Aboriginal advisers on appropriate disposition, where remains cannot be associated with a particular nation; Ensuring that Aboriginal people and communities have effective access to cultural education and training opportunities available through museums and cultural institutions. It recognized that Aboriginal peoples have their own culturally diverse, traditional knowledge and cultural teachings of play, games, and sports.262 Some were told they would face eternal damnation for speaking of what had been done to them.468, Many students fought back against their far larger and more powerful assailants, especially as they got older and stronger.469 Justice Perell’s ruling is the subject of appeal.9 Jeanne Rioux went to the Edmonton school and later worked as a supervisor at the Hobbema school in Alberta. They were also incubators of disease. Two years later, the number was down to forty-five.178 In April 2010, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See (the UN representative from the Roman Catholic Vatican) issued a statement regarding the Doctrine of Discovery at the ninth session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.20 Indigenous peoples should strengthen advocacy for the recognition of their justice systems. He had a vivid memory of people tying him to his bed and throwing hot water over him.487 I am happy that my ancestors saw fit to bring their sacred beliefs underground when they were banned and persecuted. It made me not want to be one of those people. I just absolutely hated my own parents. Our education system, through omission or commission, has failed to teach this. The ministry works with all Aboriginal people who are socially marginalized and impoverished, including Survivors and intergenerational family members who have been impacted by residential schools. We will continue to remember the children of the past and present. Elder Barney Williams, a member of the TRC’s Survivor Committee and one of the panellists at the Education Day Youth Dialogue, said, I think more and more people are realizing that the engagement of youth is crucial. In 1928, Indian agent J. Waddy wrote that at the Anglican school in The Pas, “hardly a day goes bye [sic] that one or more do not take leave on their own account.”563 On March 24, 2014, the Grand Council of Treaty 3 brought together Survivors, Elders, and others in Kenora, Ontario, for a final ceremony to mark commemorations that were held earlier at each site of the five residential schools that were located in the territory. Clyde Peters said he stopped speaking his Aboriginal language at the Mount Elgin school after he found out the school punished students for doing so. But a fundamental tension exists between LAC’s public education mandate to work collaboratively with Aboriginal peoples to document their cultural and social history versus its legal obligation to serve the state. Water ceremonies were performed by the women who were recognized as the Protectors of the Waters. Non-Aboriginal Canadians hear about the problems faced by Aboriginal communities, but they have almost no idea how those problems developed. In 1996, Parliament legislated principles that would allow offenders who might otherwise be imprisoned to serve their sentences in the community. Where wrongs were done, where abuses happened, where punishment was over the top, and wherever sexual abuse happened, somehow we need to courageously sit and talk about that, and apologize. People need to get to know each other. Like standards of accommodation and consent set out by the Supreme Court of Canada, fpic in international law is applied in proportion to the potential for harm to the rights of Indigenous peoples and to the strength of these rights. we have to heal ourselves. The United Church, created by a union of Methodist and Presbyterian congregations, took over most of the Methodist and Presbyterian schools in the mid-1920s. Commemoration should not put closure to the history and legacy of the residential schools. Under Spence’s administration, the school had a staff of twenty-three, half of whom were Aboriginal.644 One of the most common words used in describing them was “transformational.” They resigned shortly after being appointed and new Commissioners were appointed. Second, his directive is vague: while it indicates where students should not be struck, it does not specify where they could be struck, or place limits on what students could be struck with; and neither are there limits on the number of blows. The loss of these documents would be a blow to Canada’s national memory of a significant historic injustice, could contribute to the possibility that future generations would never know of the abuses in residential schools, and could contribute to the argument of those who would assert that this never happened.  The Commission intends to vigorously advance a position to prevent the destruction of the IAP documents without the informed consent of individual Survivors. Presbyterians and Methodists, originally drawing support from the United Kingdom, undertook missionary work among Aboriginal people in the early nineteenth century. Not surprisingly, arts-based interventions were included in many cultural activities (drum making, beading, singing, and drumming) as well as in therapeutic healing (art therapy and psychodrama).210. And so the nun took us.”6, Nellie Ningewance was raised in Hudson, Ontario, and went to the Sioux Lookout, Ontario, school in the 1950s and 1960s. Third, incorporating Indigenous oral history and memory practices into commemoration projects would ensure that the processes of remembering places, reclaiming identity, and revitalizing cultures were consistent with the principle of self-determination. Without their perspectives on the history of Treaty making, Canadians know only one side of this country’s history. The NCTR is governed by a Trust Deed and Administrative Agreement signed by the Commission and the university. As important as Canada’s apology was, it did not simply mark a closure of the past. We walked to honour all Indigenous peoples as they reclaim and restore their identity, equality, and dignity. This process has tested the capacity of the archives and our professional ability to respond.151. “Then I guess we’ll never speak to this little girl again. In Canada, residential schooling was closely linked to colonization and missionary crusades. Building on their network of missions in the Northwest, the Catholics quickly came to dominate the field, usually operating twice as many schools as did the Protestant denominations. Canada has a long history of colonialism in relation to Aboriginal peoples. The following year, it won the provincial championship.500 There are troubling gaps in health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. The government’s partnership with the churches remained in place until 1969, and, although most of the schools had closed by the 1980s, the last federally supported residential schools remained in operation until the late 1990s. Speaking at the TRC’s Forum on the National Research Centre in Vancouver on March 3, 2011, CMHR President and Chief Executive Officer Stuart Murray talked about the museum’s vision for, and role in, national reconciliation. She recalled one year when tuberculosis was “on the rampage in that school. The principal of the Red Deer school was taken to task in 1903 by an inspector who felt that a “serious drawback to school work, as well as an evidence of bad discipline, was the use of the Cree language, which was quite prevalent.”269, This policy of language suppression continued well into the twentieth century. Their knowledge systems, oral histories, laws, and connections to the land have vitally informed the reconciliation process to date, and are essential to its ongoing progress. Many of us come from families, from clans, from cultures, that were wiped out, that had to leave. We know we have a long journey ahead of us. Was it a perfect situation? In Laura's TED talks, she highlights behavioural and policy changes that were triggered by the sharing of these anecdotes from around the globe. In a significant number of cases, parents and Indian Affairs officials concluded that the deaths could have been prevented if school officials had mounted earlier and more effective searches and notified police officials and family members.548 He then served to welcome new inductees to the Honorary Witness circle at the Saskatchewan National Event, and to reflect on his experience. Lorna Cochrane could never forget an illustration in a social studies text. If we put our minds and hearts to it, we can [change] the status quo.104. Taught in this way, all students, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, gain historical knowledge while also developing respect and empathy for each other. Of these, nineteen had been fired because they were deemed to be incompetent. It is an important step in the overall quest for self-governance.87. In making the Treaties, the government had promised to provide assistance to First Nations to allow them to make a transition from hunting to farming. Once Aboriginal persons are arrested, prosecuted, and convicted, they are more likely to be sentenced to prison than non-Aboriginal people. Diverse, vibrant First Nations cultures were rooted in religious beliefs about their relationship to the Creator, the natural environment and each other. Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. These students were subjected to humiliating punishments. That’s the way at the school, that’s what we were taught, fears, and we were scared, and I went to hide in what we called the junk room, the junk closet.”489, A lack of adequate supervision in the schools and residences meant that such domination could give rise to physical and sexual abuse. It is my hope that by sharing the truth that it will help the public gain a better understanding of the struggles we face as First Nations.106. [this work] will contribute to a truly robust reconciliation in Canada… Health records were regularly destroyed. If any doubt remains, it is abrogated by Canon 6 of the Code of Canon Law of 1983 which abrogates in general all preceding penal and disciplinary laws… Through lived experience, they have gained deep insights into what victims of violence require to heal. In today’s Canada, Aboriginal peoples enjoy renewed pride and confidence, and have made significant achievements in agriculture, the environment, business and the arts.299. Addressing Violence against Children within the Justice System, 2. The government abandoned the plan when it failed to receive the full support of all the churches involved in the operation of the schools.124 As community members leafed through the paintings drawn by children’s hands so many years ago, memories were shared about the artists, the school, and the parents and communities they had left behind. 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