The final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) is a testament to the courage of survivors who have revealed the darkest chapter of Canadian history: the Indian Residential School legacy. May this milestone be a catalyst for continued healing and a search for reconciliation.
While this saga began with survivors, it is clear that confronting the Indian Residential School legacy is a responsibility for all Canadians. The truth revealed belongs to all of us and a new way forward must be determined collaboratively. Crucially, mutual respect must be a cornerstone for transforming relations among Indigenous peoples and all Canadians.
The TRC final report is a call to action to begin the hard work of reconciliation. The report provides a guide to a multiplicity of ways in which reconciliation can and will be achieved. We must all avoid seeing the report as one of simple condemnation. Rather, it is a wakeup call that ignites our highest consciousness where we can live out our best selves.
We will awaken to our common humanity as we begin down the path of reconciliation. Love, justice, equality, care and compassion will begin to manifest.
We owe a great deal of gratitude to our TRC. Their work is done, let us begin ours.
Gila’kasla.
