Commission Part of Aboriginal Schools Settlement
By Norma Greenaway
National Post
April 29, 2008
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=478101
OTTAWA - The aboriginal judge appointed to head a federal truth and reconciliation commission exploring the legacy of abuse in Indian residential schools says he hopes the process will allow the country to come to terms with its past and move forward.
Justice Harry LaForme, whose appointment was announced yesterday by the federal Conservative government, credited the victims and survivors of the abuse for inspiring the creation of the first truth and reconciliation commission established in the developed world.
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| Phil Fontaine Photo by Mikael Kjellstrom |
"Your pain, your courage, your perseverance and your profound commitment to truth made this commission a reality," Judge LaForme, a Mississauga Indian from Ontario, said after puffing on a "healing pipe" at a ceremony to mark his appointment at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
Speaking later to reporters, Judge LaForme defended his use of the term "horrendous" to describe what transpired and challenged those who think the magnitude of the abuse is overblown to think again.
"If there was one child that was treated in the fashion that we know some children were treated, that's enough, that's enough to describe it as horrendous," Judge LaForme said, referring indirectly to the accounts of physical, sexual and other abuse at the schools.
The commission, which will be formally established on June 1 after the appointment of two panel members to work with Judge LaForme, flows from an out-of-court settlement reached two years ago with former students of the now-closed residential schools that also included lump sum payments for thousands of school survivors.
Over the next five years, the commission will provide a nationwide forum for former aboriginal students, church representatives, teachers and others involved in what has been described as one of the darkest chapters in Canadian history to tell their personal stories.
Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl said the government still expects to make a formal apology to the victims, survivors and their families before Parliament breaks for the summer as part of the ongoing effort to "deal with this sad legacy."
Phil Fontaine, chief of the Assembly of First Nations, embraced what he portrayed as the long-overdue commission and apology as a possible "turning point" in the relationship between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians.
"There will be no more secrets," said Mr. Fontaine, who was one of the first leaders to go public with the abuse he endured as a residential school student.
The $60-million commission will have complete independence from government, the church, First Nations groups and others, as well as unfettered access to all archives as it explores events that spanned 150 years.
Mr. Strahl and Judge La-Forme stressed the commission is charged with preparing a comprehensive historical record of what occurred, as opposed to assigning blame and gathering evidence for criminal prosecution.
"The commission is not a judge and trial and a jury," Mr. Strahl said, adding that those who believe they have been victims of criminal activity should go to the police.
The federal government in 2006 approved a multi-billion-dollar settlement with residential school surviviors. An estimated 86,000 such people are expected to receive about $2-billion in total, with an estimated average payout of $28,000.
Judge LaForme, a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, is a member of the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nation, located in southern Ontario. A former commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario, he is a member of the Ontario Court of Appeal and was the first aboriginal to be appointed to an appellate court in the history of Canada.
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