From the 1870s to the 1990s, at least 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children in Canada were taken from their families and housed in what the government referred to as Indian residential schools. This created a lasting and negative impact on Indigenous individuals, families, and communities.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established to uncover the truth about these schools and to guide and inspire a national healing and reconciliation process. Between 2008 and 2014, the TRC researched official records and visited communities across Canada, including Wood Buffalo, to hear from thousands of survivors and their families.
The TRC defines reconciliation as “establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in Canada. For that to happen, there has to be awareness of the past, an acknowledgment of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behavior.”
In 2015, the TRC published its Final Report - Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future. A total of 94 Calls to Action were identified for all levels of Canadian government, Indigenous governments, citizens and residents, policing agencies, private and public institutions, and churches. The Calls to Action and the 10 Principles of Reconciliation are intended to redress the intergenerational trauma of residential schools, and the deeper, systemic, and overarching impacts brought on by colonization to advance reconciliation.
| TRC and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo |
| Repairing and restoring relationships is central to reconciliation and improved relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, both across the country and here in Wood Buffalo. Canadian municipalities are taking action to strengthen relationships with Indigenous Peoples and communities and responding to the Calls to Action. While the vast majority of the 94 Calls are within federal and provincial jurisdiction to implement, five specifically identify the municipal level of government to improve Indigenous community well-being. The RMWB worked with Indigenous partners to collectively identify a total of 23 of the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action as within municipal jurisdiction, or areas that could be influenced or advocated for with the federal and Alberta governments. |
| The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples |
| Within the 10 Principles for Reconciliation, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is identified as “the framework for reconciliation at all levels and across all sectors of Canadian society.” The UN Declaration is a global human rights instrument adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, in 2007, as “the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the Indigenous peoples of the world.” It sets out existing “human rights standards and fundamental freedoms as they apply to the specific situation of Indigenous peoples.” The UN Declaration has been adopted by 148 nations, including Canada.
Developed through a multi-decade process of negotiation at the United Nations, the Declaration was the first international human rights instrument inviting direct participation from, and created with, Indigenous rightsholders themselves. As a result, the UN Declaration's 46 articles, addressing Indigenous rights to culture, language, education, justice and lands, as well as protection from discrimination and forced assimilation, represent the real-world experiences and needs of Indigenous Peoples. A major theme embodying the entire UN Declaration is the right to self-determination – the right of Indigenous peoples to make decisions for themselves, free from the imposition of programs and policies that would threaten their cultures and identities. In 2016, Canada fully endorsed the UN Declaration to adopt and implement in accordance with the Canadian Constitution. In November 2019, the Government of British Columbia became the first provincial jurisdiction to pass legislation bringing its laws into harmony with the UN Declaration. While there is currently no Alberta legislation, the RMWB continues to examine ways in which change can be adopted at a local level. |
| Calls to Action and Principles of Reconciliation, the UN Declaration, and the RMWB |
| Sixteen of the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action call for implementation of the UN Declaration, including through measures such as public education and professional training. Call to Action 43 (UN Declaration) is one of the 23 Calls to Action the RMWB has identified and is currently implementing. The RMWB’s partnerships with Indigenous Peoples, communities, and organizations in the region is built on its continuing efforts to establish trust through meaningful and measurable reconciliation efforts. This ongoing process requires listening, learning, and acknowledging the true history of Canada and this region, and most notably, the lasting and traumatic legacy of residential schools. Mutual trust and respect from all involved parties, and most importantly, collective and sustained action is required. |