The when

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was formed in 2008 to acknowledge the deep and lasting harms done to Indigenous Peoples through the Indian Residential School System.

The why

In 2015, the TRC published the findings sharing the cultural genocide that the Residential School System brought on Indigenous Peoples. This marked Canada’s beginning of dismantling the systemic racism towards Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

The goal

The TRC’s goal was to guide Indigenous Peoples and Canadians in a process of reconciliation and renewed relationship that is based on mutual understanding and respect.

The 94 Calls to Action

The 94 Calls to Action (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) [PDF] lay out the steps Canada needs to take to help Indigenous communities heal from the harms done and to combat the systemic barriers and inequalities that Indigenous Peoples struggle with to this day.

The 94 Calls to Action are meant to be actionable recommendations to aid the healing process in two ways:

• Acknowledging the full, horrifying history of the Residential Schools System
• Creating systems to prevent these abuses from ever happening again

The TRC’s Calls to Action can be broken down into two categories:

1. Legacy – Calls to Action 1 to 42.
2. Reconciliation – Calls to Action 43 to 94.

Legacy Calls to Action

The purpose of the Legacy Calls to Action is to address Canada’s colonial history and the wrongs of Residential Schools, which separated Indigenous children from their families and subjected them to all types of abuse, famine, disease, and other horrifying conditions while being forcefully assimilated into Euro-Canadian culture.

The collective goal of the first 42 Calls to Action is to publicly acknowledge the cultural genocide committed. There are five subcategories of how this took place and the present effects within Indigenous communities:

1. Child Welfare
2. Education
3. Language and Culture
4. Health
5. Justice

Reconciliation Calls to Action

The goal of the remaining Calls to Action is to implement policy changes that will:

• Meaningfully and permanently dismantle the systemic racism that leads to poor health outcomes, premature death, and limited economic opportunities
• Vastly improve life for Indigenous Peoples in Canada
• Ensure, through honest education, that this never happens again

Indigenous Traditional Knowledges and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)

Respect for Indigenous Traditional Knowledges is also supported by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

TRC Call to Action #45, iv

“We call upon the Government of Canada… To reconcile Aboriginal and Crown constitutional and legal orders to ensure that Aboriginal peoples are full partners in Confederation, including the recognition and integration of Indigenous laws and legal traditions in negotiation and implementation processes involving Treaties, land claims, and other constructive agreements.”

TRC Call to Action #63

“We call upon the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education issues, including:

1. Developing and implementing Kindergarten to Grade Twelve curriculum and learning resources on Aboriginal peoples in Canadian history, and the history and legacy of residential schools.

2. Sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal history.

3. Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.

4. Identifying teacher-training needs relating to the above.”

What are the TRC’s goals?

The TRC has seven goals:

1. Acknowledge Residential School experiences, impacts, and consequences.
2. Provide a holistic, culturally appropriate, and safe setting for former students, their families, and communities as they come forward to the Commission.
3. Witness, support, promote, and facilitate Truth and Reconciliation events at both national and community levels.
4. Promote awareness and public education of Canadians about the Indian Residential School System and its impacts.
5. Identify sources and create a historical record of the Indian Residential School System and its legacy.
6. Produce and submit a report including recommendations to the Government of Canada concerning the Indian Residential School System and experience, including its history, purpose, operation and supervision, effect and consequences (including systemic harms, intergenerational consequences, and impact on human dignity), and ongoing legacy.
7. Support commemoration of former Indian Residential School students and their families.

Additional TRC resources

Here are some recommended readings:

• Calls to Action [PDF]
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action for Education – People for Education
• Post-Secondary Education in Canada: A Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada – Graduate School of Public Policy

Now that you have an understanding of the TRC, let’s take a look at the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).