Truth and

Reconciliation

A journey through the past

 Trigger Warning

This lesson contains discussion of residential schools and the

various iterations of abuse that took place.
A Settler’s Guide to Truth and Reconciliation

Why has Canada only completed 13 of the 94 calls

to action since 2015?
It’s been almost two years since…

On May 28, 2021, the Tk’emlups te Secwépemc people recovered

the remains of 215 children some as young as three years old ,
outside of Kamloops, B.C
The fourth wave of COVID-19 and the standstill nature of the
pandemic forced Canadians to pay attention to an issue Indigenous
communities have been telling us about for years: the truth about
residential schools
Facts.

- Residential schools were “a systematic, government-

sponsored attempt to destroy aboriginal cultures and
languages and to assimilate Aboriginal people so that they no
longer existed as distinct people” (The TRC Report)
- From 1863 to 1996, over 150 000 children were forcibly
removed from their families and placed in these ‘boarding
schools.’ That is seven generations of Indigenous peoples
over the course of 150 years. Many children never returned
home, and those who did suffer from unimaginable trauma
Facts.

- The odds of a student dying at these government-funded

‘schools’ were 1 in 25, which greater than the odds of a
Canadian soldier dying in WWII *(1 in 26)
- 1 in 5 children suffered sexual abuse
- Nutritional experiments were conducted on these children (if
you were wondering how we did the research for Canada’s
food guide, wonder no further) meaning they starved and
intentionally deprived these children of certain essential
nutrients
So what is exactly is the Truth and Reconciliation Report?

The truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was formed as a

means of reckoning with devastating legacy of residential
‘schools.’ From 2007-2015, the TRC carried out extensive
research, including hearing from residential ‘school’ survivors,
their families, community members, former staff and others
This indigenous-led effort documented the experiences of over
6,500+ residential ‘school’ survivors and resulted in the
Canadian government handing over 5 million records, including
claims of sexual and physical assault
So what is exactly is the Truth and Reconciliation Report?

The full report, published in 2015, includes stories from people

with lived experience and 94 ‘Calls To Action’ to continue
reconciliation efforts with Indigenous Peoples. The government of
Canada accepted this report via Prime Minister Trudeau in 2015
 94 Calls to Action
- The TRC Report shares the devastation and violence experienced by
Indigenous folk and gives the government a cheatsheet to reconciliation
with the 94 Calls to Action
- When our government accepted the TRC report in 205, there was an
official acknowledgement of the violence Canada committed against
Indigenous Peoples. Yet from 2015-2020, only 10 of the Calls to Action
were enacted
- In 2021, an additional three calls to action were implemented within
record time following the public outcry at the discovery of unmarked
graves containing the remains of Indigenous children who were part of
Canada’s residential ‘school’ system
Looking ahead at Truth and Reconciliation in Canada

“If we were in a chapter of a book on

reconciliation-we are, today, on the first
sentence of that book.”
-AFN National Chief RoseAnne Archibald
Looking ahead at Truth and Reconciliation in Canada

The last residential ‘school’ may have closed in 1996, but today in
Canada, Indigenous human rights, sovereignty and treaty rights
are being violated. We cannot allow ourselves to have Indigenous
Fatigue, because the violence and oppression against
Indigenous Peoples have not stopped.
Me must actively stand in solidarity with First Nations, Inuit and
Métis peoples, as white and non-indigenous POC Canadians
colonial and speak out against the violence perpetrated against
Indigenous Peoples,
 Question To
Consider…
After digesting the information that we discussed in the previous slides, please
consider the following question:

How do you feel about living in the country you live in? How do
you feel about Canada?
 Question To
Consider…
Indigenous journalist and comedian Ryan McMahon speaks about how
reconciliation will not be full achieved until we recognize our place in
colonization and recognising land rights

Based on McMahon’s comments about land in connection with

reconciliation and the knowledge that only 13 of the 94 calls to action have
been implemented by the Canadian government, do you feel that the country
in which we reside will take the TRC seriously?
 What is Reconciliation?
- establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship
between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in this country

Awareness …of the past

Acknowledgemen …of the harm that was done

t

Atonement …for the causes of the

problem

Action …to change behaviour

 Why reconciliation?
● You didn’t negotiate treaties, send students to residential
schools, etc.
● But harm was done, and it is a collective responsibility of all
who live in Canada, regardless of background or outlook.
● The system that committed these acts still exists today, and we
all benefit from it.

Treaty of Niagara
The Covenant Chain Wampum presented by Sir William Johnson at the conclusion of the Council of Niagara. This replica was
commissioned by Nathan Tidridge and created by Ken Maracle of the Cayuga Nation.
 To Consider…
On a Google Doc, please look at our country's relationship with Indigenous
peoples as if it were story. Consider:

Who is the protagonist?

Who is the antagonist?

What is the primary conflict(s)? Who is involved in said conflict(s)?

What is the inciting incident?

What would be the ideal denouement (resolution) to this story that is ongoing?
 Works Cited
Slides 3-13
On Canada Project. Oncanadaproject. “A Settlers Guide to Truth and Reconciliation”. Instagram, 5 June
2022
Slide 15
“Talking About Decolonization, Colonization & Land | Ryan McMahon”. YouTube, uploaded by National
Speakers Bureau, 14 November 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y1qjPBIX9c
Slides 17 and 18
Provided by the White Oaks Secondary School Equity Team as part of their “Reconciliation”
Google Slide Presentation. Wednesday 27 September 2023
Slide 19
“Canadians have been breaking their promises to Indigenous people”. YouTube, uploaded by
CBC Docs. February 20 202