Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) provided those directly or indirectly affected by the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools system with an opportunity to share their stories and experiences.
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About the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, the largest class-action settlement in Canadian history, began to be implemented in 2007. One of the elements of the agreement was the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada to facilitate reconciliation among former students, their families, their communities and all Canadians.
The official mandate (PDF) of the TRC is found in Schedule "N" of the Settlement Agreement which includes the principles that guided the commission in its important work.
Between 2007 and 2015, the Government of Canada provided about $72 million to support the TRC's work. The TRC spent 6 years travelling to all parts of Canada and heard from more than 6,500 witnesses. The TRC also hosted 7 national events across Canada to engage the Canadian public, educate people about the history and legacy of the residential schools system, and share and honour the experiences of former students and their families.
The TRC created a historical record of the residential schools system. As part of this process, the Government of Canada provided over 5 million records to the TRC. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba now houses all of the documents collected by the TRC.
In June 2015, the TRC held its closing event in Ottawa and presented the executive summary of the findings contained in its multi-volume final report, including 94 "calls to action" (or recommendations) to further reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous Peoples.
In December 2015, the TRC released its entire 6-volume final report. All Canadians are encouraged to read the summary or the final report to learn more about the terrible history of Indian Residential Schools and its sad legacy.
To read the reports, please visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation website.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Final Report is a testament to the courage of each and every Survivor and family member who shared their story.
As part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accepted the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on behalf of Canada.
The Government of Canada continues to be committed to a renewed nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous Peoples based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership. The Government of Canada will work closely with provinces, territories, First Nations, the Métis Nation, Inuit groups and church entities to implement recommendations of the TRC and further reconciliation to the benefit of all Canadians. This will include the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Government of Canada also recognizes that true reconciliation goes beyond the scope of the commission's recommendations. The Prime Minister announced that Canada will work with leaders of First Nations, the Métis Nation, Inuit, provinces and territories, parties to the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement, and other key partners, to design a national engagement strategy for developing and implementing a national reconciliation framework, informed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations.
Since the Prime Minister met with leaders of the National Indigenous Organizations on December 16, 2015 the Government of Canada has continued to advance with Delivering on Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action. Some notable advancements include:
- Child and youth: Call to Action 1
- An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families (the Act) which came into effect January 2020, was co-developed with Indigenous partners with the aim of reducing the number of Indigenous children in care and reforming child and family services. On February 9, 2024, the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed that the Act is constitutionally valid. In doing so, the Court upheld Parliament's ability to affirm that the inherent right of self-government includes jurisdiction over child and family services.
- Language and culture: Call to Action 13
- The Indigenous Languages Act received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019, to support the reclamation, revitalization, maintaining and strengthening of Indigenous languages in Canada.
- Health: Call to Action 19
- Indigenous Services Canada continues to collaborate with Statistics Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Indigenous organizations such as the First Nations Information Governance Centre and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami on establishing health indicators that can identify gaps and be routinely reported. The first major refresh of the health inequalities data tool was completed in 2022. The tool now includes inequalities results sorted by First Nations living off reserve, Inuit or Métis identity for 81 new and updated indicators of health outcomes and determinants of health. Upcoming Health Inequalities Reporting Initiative (HIRI) reporting will focus on the topic of social determinants of mental health inequalities in Canada.
- Justice in the legal system: Call to Action 43
- In 2016, the Government of Canada endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples without qualification and committed to its full and effective implementation. On June 21, 2021, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act received Royal Assent and immediately came into force (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act).
- Reconciliation: Call to Action 53
- On April 30, 2024, Bill C-29, an Act to provide for the establishment of a national council for reconciliation, received Royal Assent and came into force on July 2, 2024, fulfilling Call to Action 53. The legislation ensures that the National Council for Reconciliation will be an independent, Indigenous-led, non-political organization that will help advance reconciliation in all sectors of Canadian society.
- Reconciliation: Call to Action 58
- Pope Francis recognized the abuses experienced at residential schools that resulted in cultural destruction, loss of life, and ongoing trauma lived by Indigenous Peoples in every region of this country during his "penitential pilgrimage" visit to Canada on July 24 to 29, 2022.
- History and commemoration: Call to Action 76
- On June 7, 2021, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada launched the Residential Schools Missing Children Community Support Fund which supports Survivor-centric, community-led, and culturally appropriate efforts to locate, document, and memorialize burial sites associated with former Indian residential schools, and honour families' wishes to repatriate children's remains.