Response, responsiblity, and renewal : Résponse, responsabilité et renouveau : cheminement du Canada vers la vérité et la réconciliation

It was released to coincide with “Remembering the Children: An Aboriginal and Church Leaders’ Tour to Prepare for Truth and Reconciliation.”1 This initiative, led by the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations and, along with representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, the spiritual leaders of the Anglican, Presbyterian, and United churches sought to promote the work of the upcoming Indi [...] This is the opportunity for all of us to hear the voices of the children who attended residential schools, to listen to their stories, and to learn, maybe for the first time, of the impact that residential schools have had on Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.2 The release goes on to say that the Aboriginal and church leaders hope the tour would raise awareness about the work of [...] Instead, the conversation—in the form, primarily, of media coverage—was focused on past efforts at government apology and statements made by the government about the relationship between apology and the work of the TRC, with the need for that process to play out first and foremost. [...] In short order, the tour, an initiative independent from the government and TRC, welcomed the Aboriginal Healing Foundation’s contribution to the truth and reconciliation discourse and included the volume as part of its multi-city tour. [...] Issues related to the TRC and its mandate continued to percolate, and perceptions continued to be varied as all parties awaited the major milestones of the TRC launch and delivery of the apology.