What is Reconciliation?

Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was a commission organized by members of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement to document the history and ongoing effects of the Canadian Indian Residential School System. Residential school survivors were given the space to share their truths and experiences in the residential school system. The TRC published a Final Report as well as 94 "Calls to Action" on reconciling the relationship between settler Canadians and Indigenous Peoples (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Calls to Action)

Senator Murray Sinclair: The truth is hard. Reconciliation is harder. (1)

What reconciliation really means (2)

Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf

Truth & Reconciliation: Calls to Action (3)

Applying the TRC Calls to Action in our work

19. We call upon the federal government, in consultation with Aboriginal peoples, to establish measurable goals to identify and close the gaps in health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, and to publish annual progress reports and assess long-term trends. Such efforts would focus on indicators such as: infant mortality, maternal health, suicide, mental health, addictions, life expectancy, birth rates, infant and child health issues, chronic diseases, illness and injury incidence, and the availability of appropriate health services.

24. We call upon medical and nursing schools in Canada to require all students to take a course dealing with Aboriginal health issues, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, and Indigenous teachings and practices. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is a resolution passed by the United Nations in 2007 that defines the individual and collective rights of Indigenous Peoples (United Nations, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples).

How UNDRIP Changes Canada's Relationship with Indigenous Peoples (4)

Figuring out the Who, Where, How and What to Implement UNDRIP in Canada (5)

UNDRIP_E_web.pdf

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (6)

Applying UNDRIP in our work

Article 29: States shall also take effective measures to ensure, as needed, that programmes for monitoring, maintaining and restoring the health of indigenous peoples, as developed and implemented by the peoples affected by such materials, are duly implemented.

Article 31: ...Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their intellectual property over such cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and traditional cultural expressions.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls looked into, and reported on, the systemic causes of violence against Indigenous Women and Girls. The Final Report outlines "Calls for Justice" to be implemented to stop the cycle of violence and genocide against Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA (National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Final Report).

Calls-Web-Version-EN.docx

Applying Calls For Justice in our work

"We call upon all governments...

3.1 to ensure that the rights to health and wellness of Indigenous Peoples, and specifically of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people, are recognized and protected on an equitable basis.

3.2 to provide adequate, stable, equitable, and ongoing funding for Indigenous-centred and community-based health and wellness services that are accessible and culturally appropriate, and meet the health and wellness needs of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people.

7.1 and health service providers to recognize that Indigenous Peoples – First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, including 2SLGBTQQIA people – are the experts in caring for and healing themselves, and that health and wellness services are most effective when they are designed and delivered by the Indigenous Peoples they are supposed to serve, in a manner consistent with and grounded in the practices, world views, cultures, languages, and values of the diverse Inuit, Métis, and First Nations communities they serve.

7.2 and health service providers to ensure that health and wellness services for Indigenous Peoples include supports for healing from all forms of unresolved trauma, including intergenerational, multigenerational, and complex trauma. Health and wellness programs addressing trauma should be Indigenous-led, or in partnership with Indigenous communities, and should not be limited in time or approaches. (7)

References:
  1. PolicyAlternatives. [PolicyAlternatives]. (2017, October 27). Senator Murray Sinclair: The truth is hard. Reconciliation is harder. [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxtH_E6FqVo
  2. CBC News: The National. [CBC News: The National]. (2015, June 2). What reconciliation really means [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed6cWMUHpWk
  3. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Summary : honouring the truth, reconciling for the future. Winnipeg: Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
  4. Centre for International Governance Innovation [Centre for International Governance Innovation]. (2018, November 9). How UNDRIP Changes Canada’s Relationship with Indigenous Peoples [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tq7Mnlavqs
  5. Centre for International Governance Innovation [Centre for International Governance Innovation]. (2019, June 27). Figuring out the Who, Where, How and What to Implement UNDRIP in Canada [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO6JS20jDgQ
  6. UN General Assembly, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly, 2 October 2007, A/RES/61/295, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/471355a82.html [accessed 23 September 2020]
  7. National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. (June 2019). Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Volume 1a, 1b