Peter Harrison - Speaking My Truth
Peter Harrison - Speaking My Truth Peter Harrison - Speaking My Truth
egin. This is the challenge of coping with ignorance, which the Truth andReconciliation Commission will face at the beginning of and throughout itsmandate. At the time of the conversation noted above, the Indian ResidentialSchools Settlement Agreement, 1 which had been negotiated and accepted bythe national Aboriginal organizations, the churches that ran the schools, andthe Government of Canada, had also received approval from the courts inthe nine jurisdictions where the schools had been located. The future fateof the Settlement Agreement, which is the largest out-of-court settlementof a class action in Canadian history, was at that point still in the hands ofthe residential school Survivors. As members of the class action, they couldaccept the Settlement Agreement as a whole or opt out and pursue theirown legal remedies. If more than 5,000 of the estimated 86,000 Survivorshad opted out, then the Settlement Agreement would have become void. Inany event, fewer than 400 Survivors opted out, and the court-monitoredSettlement Agreement came into effect on 19 September 2007, at which timebegan its five-year life.Much has happened in the intervening year. The common experiencepayment has been paid out to over 61,473 claimants as at 31 March 2008 (fora total of over $1.19 billion), and the process of reconsideration of disputedclaims is under way. 2 The independent assessment process for assessingand compensating individual cases of abuse has been put in place, andadjudication hearings have begun. An additional endowment ($125 million)has been provided to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, and the Truth andReconciliation Commission (TRC) has been created. In addition, the businessof the House of Commons was suspended for the day on 11 June 2008, and theRight Honourable Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, on behalfof the Government of Canada and all Canadians, apologized to the Survivorsof residential schools and asked for their forgiveness. 3 Many Survivorswere present in the chamber while national Aboriginal leaders addressedMembers of Parliament and the whole country from the floor of the House ofCommons, and countless others watched the proceedings in communitiesand at gatherings across Canada and around the world.While much has happened, much more remains to be done. As manyAboriginal leaders and residential school Survivors have pointed out, thepayments under the Settlement Agreement are important in the process ofhealing and reconciliation, but they are by no means sufficient by themselves.The increased public awareness occasioned by the Apology was welcomedand timely, but it needs to be nurtured and built upon. And so there aregreat expectations that the TRC—the jewel in the crown of the SettlementAgreement—will be able to achieve its objectives in a lasting way.138 | Peter Harrison
Toward ReconciliationThere are many layers to the goal of reconciliation, with many differentplayers involved: individual Survivors struggle to reconcile their residentialschool experience with its ongoing impact on their lives; spouses and familymembers are on journeys of understanding and healing; whole communitiesare trying to cope with social issues resulting from the abuse suffered in theresidential schools; and reconciliation with the institutions responsible for theschools—the churches and the government—is an ongoing challenge withits own set of dynamics. But what of the Canadian public—civil society—as awhole? How can they be informed about the legacy of residential schools? Isreconciliation possible without a clear understanding of the role and impact ofthese institutions? Judging by the conversation outlined above (and I have hadmany others like it), even informed professionals are unaware of the enormityof the residential school phenomenon. So how much more difficult will it be toengage a public that has even less knowledge and, in some cases, less interest?The education of the Canadian public is thus one of the key objectives of theTRC, and this will be a mammoth task.When first faced with the facts of residential schools, many people areincredulous, and their disbelief leads to a plethora of questions, such as:How could this have happened in a society that sees itself as caring andtolerant? This quickly evolves into a deeper understanding of the situationsstill faced by many Aboriginal people in Canada, their families, and theircommunities. This often turns to outrage and the desire for further action.This empathy can be a wellspring of support for the TRC and its work andcould strengthen the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginalpeople in Canada if tapped into effectively. It would be a great gift toCanada if the story of suffering and despair endured in residential schoolsgives rise to greater understanding and leads to positive partnerships withAboriginal peoples.Facing the SkepticsThere are skeptics and those who simply dismiss the residential schoolsissue as being of little consequence. The TRC will undoubtedly hearfrom such individuals. Indeed, if the TRC is to rewrite this dark chapterin Canadian history, it should hear such views; there would be merit inseeking these individuals out so that myth can be replaced with fact andignorance thereby dispelled. I have heard many skeptical comments in theconversations referred to above. What are some of these? How can these becountered? The remainder of this article will deal with some of the moreegregious ones. It is only to be hoped that these comments arise because ofa lack of knowledge, information, and understanding by the commentator.Response, Responsibility, and Renewal | 139
- Page 1 and 2: Peter HarrisonResponse, From Respon
- Page 3: Dispelling Ignorance of Residential
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- Page 9 and 10: important) the indifferent—while
- Page 11: “How would you feel if your child
egin. This is the challenge of coping with ignorance, which the <strong>Truth</strong> andReconciliation Commission will face at the beginning of and throughout itsmandate. At the time of the conversation noted above, the Indian ResidentialSchools Settlement Agreement, 1 which had been negotiated and accepted bythe national Aboriginal organizations, the churches that ran the schools, andthe Government of Canada, had also received approval from the courts inthe nine jurisdictions where the schools had been located. The future fateof the Settlement Agreement, which is the largest out-of-court settlementof a class action in Canadian history, was at that point still in the hands ofthe residential school Survivors. As members of the class action, they couldaccept the Settlement Agreement as a whole or opt out and pursue theirown legal remedies. If more than 5,000 of the estimated 86,000 Survivorshad opted out, then the Settlement Agreement would have become void. Inany event, fewer than 400 Survivors opted out, and the court-monitoredSettlement Agreement came into effect on 19 September 2007, at which timebegan its five-year life.Much has happened in the intervening year. The common experiencepayment has been paid out to over 61,473 claimants as at 31 March 2008 (fora total of over $1.19 billion), and the process of reconsideration of disputedclaims is under way. 2 The independent assessment process for assessingand compensating individual cases of abuse has been put in place, andadjudication hearings have begun. An additional endowment ($125 million)has been provided to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, and the <strong>Truth</strong> andReconciliation Commission (TRC) has been created. In addition, the businessof the House of Commons was suspended for the day on 11 June 2008, and theRight Honourable Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, on behalfof the Government of Canada and all Canadians, apologized to the Survivorsof residential schools and asked for their forgiveness. 3 Many Survivorswere present in the chamber while national Aboriginal leaders addressedMembers of Parliament and the whole country from the floor of the House ofCommons, and countless others watched the proceedings in communitiesand at gatherings across Canada and around the world.While much has happened, much more remains to be done. As manyAboriginal leaders and residential school Survivors have pointed out, thepayments under the Settlement Agreement are important in the process ofhealing and reconciliation, but they are by no means sufficient by themselves.The increased public awareness occasioned by the Apology was welcomedand timely, but it needs to be nurtured and built upon. And so there aregreat expectations that the TRC—the jewel in the crown of the SettlementAgreement—will be able to achieve its objectives in a lasting way.138 | <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Harrison</strong>
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