- They want support to allow them to improve parenting skills. In particular, people asked for support in regaining and teaching traditional parenting practices and values.
- They want control over the way their children and grandchildren are educated. Reconciliation will come through the education system. They want respect.
- People are angry at being told they should simply "get over it." For them, the memories remain, the pain remains. They have started on their healing journey—usually with no help and no support. They told the Commission they will be the ones to determine when they have reached their destination.
- They want their languages and their traditions. With tremendous effort, people have sought out traditional teachings and practices, and worked at preserving endangered languages. They want the institutions that invested so much over many decades in undermining their cultures to invest now in restoring them.
- They want the full history of residential schools and Aboriginal peoples taught to all students in Canada at all levels of study and to all teachers, and given prominence in Canadian history texts.
As Commissioners, we have been moved, strengthened, softened by what we have heard. We were reminded afresh that all this happened to little children who had no control over their lives and whose parents found themselves power less to prevent their children from being taken from them. People came to the Commission in openness and honesty, seeking to be faithful to what had happened to them. For many people, it was an act of tremendous courage even to appear before the Commission. Some people were so overwhelmed by grief and emotion that they could not complete their statements. In other cases, the pain was so intense that it was necessary to halt the proceedings and simply hold hands. These Canadians have been carrying a tremendous burden of pain for years. Finally, they are starting to be heard. Their messages will play a crucial role in shaping the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report.
Some issues presented to the Commission have been so clear, urgent, important, and persistent that the Commission is making recommendations about them in this report.
Education
There is a need to increase public awareness and understanding of the history of residential schools. This will require comprehensive public-awareness efforts by the federal government and in-school educational efforts by provincial and territorial governments and educational institutions.
Recommendations
- The Commission recommends that each provincial and territorial government undertake a review of the curriculum materials currently in use in public schools to assess what, if anything, they teach about residential schools.
- The Commission recommends that provincial and territorial departments of education work in concert with the Commission to develop age-appropriate educational materials about residential schools for use in public schools.
- The Commission recommends that each provincial and territorial government work with the Commission to develop public-education campaigns to inform the general public about the history and impact of residential schools in their respective jurisdiction.
Languages and Traditional Knowledge
Residential schools suppressed Aboriginal language and culture, contributing to the loss of culture, language, and traditional knowledge. Even when those direct attacks came to a stop, culture remained devalued. There is a need for the recognition of the continuing value to communities and society of Aboriginal traditional knowledge, including spiritual, cultural, and linguistic knowledge. This will require long-term financial investments in measures for the reclaiming and relearning and sharing of this knowledge. The resources spent on this should be commensurate to the monies and efforts previously spent to destroy such knowledge.
Recommendation
- The Commission recommends that the Government of Canada and churches establish an ongoing cultural revival fund designed to fund projects that promote the traditional spiritual, cultural, and linguistic heritages of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada.
Parenting Skills
It is clear that one of the greatest impacts of residential schools is the breakdown of family relationships. Children were deprived of the positive family environment necessary for the transmission of parenting knowledge and skills. That impact continues to be seen to this day; it is evidenced in high rates of child apprehensions and youth involvement in crime. The disruption of family relationships exacerbates the impact of high mortality rates and high birth rates in the Aboriginal community. There is a need for the development and provi-
