Are we getting closer to "Truth and Reconciliation"?

By Chadwick Cowie

From March 25 to 30 2014, I had the opportunity to participate in the final TRC National Event in Edmonton, Alberta. Below are important points to consider when assessing the TRC.

Three Things You Need to Know About The TRC:

1. 1.    The TRC was formed as a requirement from the “Indian” Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, signed September 19, 2007. The Settlement Agreement was achieved after years of discussion between the federal government of Canada and Residential School survivors. The agreement would also bring forth the Canadian government’s official apology for Residential Schools on June 11, 2008.


2. 2.    The TRC built off of the ‘Statement of Reconciliation,’ dated January 7 1998. This formulated the TRC’s main principles, which include: victim-centred; public/transparent; inclusive, educational, holistic, just, and fair; and forward-looking in terms of rebuilding and renewing Indigenous/Canadian relations.


3. 3.    In looking to achieve its principle goals, the TRC held forums across Canada (also known as Turtle Island by Indigenous peoples). Forums were held in Winnipeg, MB; Inuvik NT; Halifax NS; Saskatoon SK; Montreal QC; Vancouver BC; and, most recently, Edmonton AB.  A final report is to follow the public consultations later in 2014.

Three Myths about the TRC:

Myth #1: The TRC has nothing to do with Canadians.

The Reality: The TRC was formed in order to begin healing the Canadian/Indigenous relationships. Such understanding is why the TRC worked to bring both sides of the treaty relationship together and bring change, such as Alberta’s decision to include a more extensive teaching of Residential Schools in K-12 education.

Myth #2: Residential Schools Are ‘In the Past.’

The Reality: The last residential school to close was in 1996. Additionally, intergenerational suffering is a reality for Indigenous survivors and descendants of survivors.

Myth #3: The TRC’s Findings Equals an End to Indigenous ‘Issues.’

The Reality: The TRC’s focus is on one point on a long list of issues that continue to exist between Indigenous peoples and Canada. The TRC was not mandated to look at ‘day schools,’ ‘missions’ (the scientific experiments done on Indigenous peoples), the ‘Sixties Scoop,’ or land usurpation, to name but a few. The Indigenous/Canadian relationship has a long way to go and progress may very well be linked to the TRC’s principles. 

Chadwick (Chad) Cowie is from the Anishinaabeg community of Manominiiking and is currently a Prospective PhD Candidate in Political Science at the University of Alberta. Chad’s academic focus is on Canadian, Indigenous, and Comparative politics – with specific interest in Indigenous/Canadian relations, federalism, and electoral behavior