Inquiry Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

Alternative Name
  • Canadian TRC
Website
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1450124405592/1529106060525
Location
Canada

Key Dates

1883 - 1996
Period of investigation
2007 - 2015
Period of operation
February 2012
Interim Report
December 2015
Final Report

Details

The Inquiry examined the legacy of the nation's church-run residential schools and sought to begin the healing process towards reconciliation.

It is estimated that over 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children attended these schools after being removed from their families, with 80,000 of these former students are believed to be still living. Prior to the TRC's establishment a Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples had highlighted the abuse experienced by students of the schools and the serious on-going repercussions of their separation from family and culture.

The Inquiry was the outcome of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, a major class action taken against the Canadian Government, churches and other responsible for the school system on behalf of former students.

The Process
The TRC carried out through public and private hearings, national and regional events, and major research and commemoration programs. It received more than 6750 statements from survivors, their families and others connected with the Indian Residential School System. It established a major centre to house its archival materials and to commemorate the residential schools legacy, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

It was overseen by a Commission Chair and two Commissioners and a series of committees representing school Survivors. Seven offices were located across Canada.

Governing Legislation
The TRC was established under the terms of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, itself the outcome of a major class action taken by former school students against the Government, churches and others associated with the system. Specifically, the mandate of the TRC was outlined in Schedule N of the Indian Residential Schools agreement. This Mandate outlined the goals of the Commission and detailed how it was to be run. While it called for the Commission to receive statements and documents from former students and relevant parties, it said it was not to hold formal hearings or act as a public inquiry. It did not have subpoena powers.

Governing Authority
The Canadian Government established the TRC by appointing Commissioners through an Order in Council.

Inquiry Locations
The Inquiry's main office was in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with another small office in Ottawa, Ontario. Satellite offices operated in Vancouver, British Columbia; Hobbema, Alberta; and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Hearings were held across the country. The commission took part in almost 900 separate events in Canada. It visited more than 300 communities.

Public Hearings
The Canadian TRC did not hold traditional public hearings but instead held National and Regional Events, which included sessions to witness testimony from Survivors (called Sharing Panels and Sharing Circles) and activities to educate the public about the residential schools system.

The seven National Events were held in Winnipeg, Inuvik, Halifax, Saskatoon, Montreal, Vancouver and, Edmonton, attracting up to 155,000 visits. Each was held over four days. More than 9000 former residential school Survivors registered to attend (many did not register but attended).

The National Events were streamed live and attracted more than 93,000 views from at least 62 countries. Regional Events were held in Victoria and Whitehorse. There were 238 days of local hearings held in 77 communities. 'Town hall' events were also held at which people were invited to share stories and promote reconciliation.

The Commission gathered statements from former students at these National, Regional and Community Events and at Commission hearings. Former staff and family members also gave statements.

Private Sessions
Statements were also gathered through private conversations and at correctional institutions in Kenora, Ontario, and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Of the more than 6750 statements collected, most were recorded privately.

Case Studies
The TRC did not use a case study approach.

Written Submissions
Most statements were collected orally, although many were initially received in written form.

Research
Part of the TRC's mandate was to carry out a major research program. As such, a Director of Research, John Milloy, was appointed. TRC staff conducted research and a series of research initiatives were also commissioned. John Milloy wrote about some of the strengths, but also the challenges, of this task in his article "Doing Public History in Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission". The research was both internal and commission, and its focus was wide ranging. It was drawn on heavily in the final reports, which, over thousands of pages, tell the history of the residential school system and the legacy of the system today.

The Inquiry held sharing panels and discussions at its National Events.

Witnesses
Almost 7000 people gave evidence in public and private hearings, most of who were survivors of the residential school system. Members of the families, former staff of the schools and others connected with the system also spoke about their experiences.

Gender
Gender was not a key factor in the Indian Residential School system, which catered for both boys and girls.

Institutions
The TRC examined the 139 residential schools identified under the Agreement.

Findings
The TRC concluded that Canada had carried out "cultural genocide" in its treatment of its Aboriginal peoples. It issued a series of recommendations aimed at providing justice to abuse survivors and reframing the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. It found that the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools system was still present in Canadian society, through the loss of Aboriginal culture and language, the racism directed at Aboriginal people and the disparity in education, health and other factors between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. There were also serious child welfare repercussions. In its interim report, the Commission recommended the Canadian Government adopted the United Nationals Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, which the Government eventually did, without making it legally binding. The 94 calls to action issued in its final report included a demand that all governments and parties to the Settlement Agreement "fully embrace" the Declaration and use it as a framework for the development of a national action plan towards reconciliation. Those calls to action, essentially policy recommendations, were wide ranging, covering issues ranging from health and education to commemoration.

Recommendations
The Commission made 94 calls to action. Some of its key recommendations included:

  • Implementation of health-care rights for Aboriginal people and acknowledgement that contemporary health problems were a direct result of past policies
  • Legislation to protect Aboriginal languages and cultures and close the education gap
  • Action to address the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in trouble with the law and publication of data relating to criminal victimisation of Aboriginal people
  • Establishment of a national council for reconciliation
  • Implementation of an Aboriginal Languages Act and appointment of a language commissioner
  • Federal funding for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
  • A public holiday to honour survivors
  • Funding for memorials, community events and museums

Cost
The official TRC website notes the Inquiry was established in 2008 with a budget of $60 million over five years, but it had a delayed start and was given a 12 month extension. The Canadian Government has reported that it provided about $72 million to the TRC between 2007 and 2015.

Further Action
The Inquiry called for a public inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls, which is in its initial stages.

In December 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to work towards implementing all of the TRC's calls to action and a year later announced that his government had begun work on 41 of the 45 recommendations that fell under federal jurisdiction.

Related Inquiries
This Inquiry called for an inquiry into missing Aboriginal women and girls. That inquiry was announced in late 2015.

Chair

Commissioners

Inquiry Panel

Countries

Publications

Final Report

  • Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Canada's Residential Schools, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Winnipeg, 2015-2016 (6 vols). Also available at https://nctr.ca/records/reports/. Details

Reports

Acknowledgement: this summary was prepared by Fiona Davis, Australian Catholic University