2023-24 Horizontal initiative: Implementing the Federal framework to address the legacy of residential schools

General Information

Lead department: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC)

Federal partner organizations: Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), Library and Archives Canada (LAC), Canadian Heritage (PCH), Parks Canada Agency (PC), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and the Department of Justice (DOJ)

Start date: 2022

End date: 2027

Description: In 2006, in response to decades of litigation and action by survivors seeking justice for their experiences at residential schools, the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) was approved with the aim of bringing a fair and lasting resolution to the legacy of residential schools. Created under the IRSSA, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was mandated to document the history of residential schools. In its final report and 94 Calls to Action, the Commission outlined the far-reaching impacts of the residential schools system and identified the significant work remaining to address its ongoing legacy. Since 2015, and with Canada's legal obligations under the IRSSA nearing completion, the Government has made implementation of the Commission's Calls to Action a central pillar of its reconciliation agenda, committing to fully implement the Calls to Action in partnership with Indigenous communities and governments, provinces, territories, and other partners.

This included the implementation in 2019 of Calls to Action 72 and 73 (National Residential School Memorial Register and national online cemetery register), led by CIRNAC in partnership with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR). In 2021, CIRNAC launched the Residential Schools Missing Children – Community Support Funding initiative for the implementation of Calls to Action 74-76. Funding is provided to Indigenous communities who undertake community-led initiatives to locate, document, and memorialize burial sites associated with former residential schools, and honour families' wishes to bring children's remains home.

Following the locating of potential unmarked burial sites associated with former residential schools in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, the Government announced in August 2021 additional investments to support Indigenous community-led work. This includes work surrounding burial sites, commemoration activities, the construction of a national residential schools monument to honour Survivors and children who did not return home, the provision of essential mental health, cultural and emotional support services to help with healing from intergenerational trauma, and the rehabilitation of existing residential school buildings on and off-reserve.

Budget 2022 announced additional investments to support the implementation of the Federal framework to address the legacy of residential schools, which includes initiatives to address the ongoing impacts of the residential schools system and commemorate their history and legacy under 4 themes: (1) addressing missing children and burial information; (2) commemoration and education; (3) supporting communities and survivors; and (4) sustained, streamlined support for reconciliation initiatives.

Finally, the appointment of Kimberly Murray, in June 2022, as the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites ("Special Interlocutor") is part of the whole-of-government approach to the ongoing legacy of residential schools. At the end of her 2-year mandate, the Special Interlocutor will present final recommendations concurrently to the Minister of Justice and to First Nations, Inuit and Métis Survivors, families, communities and leadership, for a new federal legal framework to identify, protect and preserve unmarked graves and burial sites connected to former residential schools. Those recommendations will inform the appropriate actions to be taken by the Government of Canada towards the implementation of a new federal legal framework and new needed initiatives and measures over and above those currently presented in this Horizontal Initiative. For more information regarding the Special Interlocutor's mandate, engagement activities and reports, please consult her website at Home | Office of the Special Interlocutor (osi-bis.ca).

The destructive legacy created by residential schools is complex. Addressing these intergenerational impacts requires whole-of-government coordinated action across federal departments and agencies, as well as co-operative relationships with Indigenous communities and across all levels of government This horizontal initiative will support the advancement of key Government of Canada priorities and commitments addressing the ongoing legacy of residential schools, including, beyond IRSSA, addressing missing children and burial information, maintaining expanded trauma-informed support services, commemoration and education, and identification and disclosure of residential schools-related records. This horizontal initiative will also support monitoring of the various elements of the Federal Framework given the cross-cutting nature, significant investments, and shared outcomes of this initiative.

Governance structures: The Horizontal Results Framework to address the legacy of residential schools will be reported in the Departmental Plan and Departmental Results Report of the lead department (CIRNAC) and will be implemented through a horizontal governance structure, including the Assistant Deputy Minister Oversight Committee (ADMC), which includes representation from 7 core departments and agencies (CIRNAC, ISC, RCMP, PC, Department of Justice, Canadian Heritage, and LAC). The ADMC is supported by a Director General Steering Committee (DGSC), and is responsible for the overall governance and coordination of the Federal Framework initiative. It will ensure horizontal results monitoring, reporting, and assessment, including the collection of consistent data. The governance structure is supported by resources within CIRNAC's Resolution and Partnerships Sector.

CIRNAC will continue to be the lead department and convener for working-level groups, as well as these committees. All partner departments will continue their participation in establishing the governance structure and the financial parameters for the horizontal initiative, provide a complete list to CIRNAC of their activities that are connected to the horizontal initiative, and provide information on relevant departmental activities as required by the Oversight Committee to implement their respective activities connected to the horizontal initiative. Going forward, interdepartmental results working group(s), alongside the DG Steering and ADM Oversight Committees, will work collaboratively to ensure the development of results and resource frameworks, data collection and consolidation, and monitoring of performance indicators, unforeseen issues and course corrections that arise during the life of these initiatives and communication strategies.

Total federal funding allocated (start to end date): To be added once initiatives are confirmed

Total federal planned spending to date: To be added once initiatives are confirmed

Total federal actual spending to date: To be added once initiatives are confirmed

Date of last renewal of the horizontal initiative: Not applicable

Total federal funding allocated at the last renewal and source of funding: Not applicable

Additional federal funding received after the last renewal: Not applicable

Total planned spending since the last renewal: Not applicable

Total actual spending since the last renewal: Not applicable

Fiscal year of planned completion of next evaluation: Not applicable. No evaluation is currently planned.

Planning highlights: CIRNAC will lead all partner departments in the confirmation of the horizontal initiative results framework, including the completion of overall shared outcome(s), thematic shared outcome(s), and scoping of included initiatives. Work will also include confirming the governance structures associated with this horizontal initiative and collecting preliminary information on all scoped-in initiatives.