CANADA
The Globe and Mail
BILL CURRY
OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail
Published Thursday, Jun. 04, 2015
The most horrific stories of abuse at residential schools may never become public as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission prepares for a legal battle this fall to block the destruction of key documents.
Even though the commission wrapped up four days of closing ceremonies this week and has released its final recommendations, it is still fighting in court to preserve sensitive transcripts of stories told by nearly 38,000 former students. But not all former students support the TRC’s position and the legal case has created unusual alliances.
Children and staff at a residential school in Fort Providence, NWT in 1921. The Canadian government funded such institutions from the 1870s to the 1990s, which saw more than 150,000 children taken from their homes.
The government of Canada is also seeking to preserve the documents, while Catholic churches and the Assembly of First Nations have expressed concern about their potential release.
At issue are the specific stories of former students who suffered sexual abuse or severe physical abuse that were told during private hearings called an Independent Assessment Process. The adjudicated hearings were set up through the same out-of-court residential schools settlement that created the commission. Former students were eligible for financial compensation based on the severity of the abuse they suffered.
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