Whereas the Truth and Reconciliation Commission TRC was created as part of the settlement agreement between the federal government, the churches and survivor parties to the Indian Residential Schools Class Action Settlement Agreement to determine the truth about Canadas Indian residential schools and establish a reconciliation process; And whereas over the course of the last six years, the TRC researched official records and visited communities across Canada to hear from thousands of residential school survivors and their families about the impacts of residential schools and colonization; And whereas the findings of these investigations are summarized in the TRCs Final Report, released June 2, 2015, and include 94 recommendations for action by all levels of government; And whereas the City of Vancouver was the first city in Canada to establish a Year of Reconciliation, starting on National Aboriginal Day, 2013, prompting similar action from other Canadian cities representing millions of Canadians; And whereas at the end of the Year of Reconciliation, City Council committed to create a City of Reconciliation to find a new pathway forward that is forged in truth and justice, respect and partnership with our First Nation and Aboriginal communities; And whereas the TRC has put a call to action to government stating that knowing the truth about what happened in residential schools in and of itself does not necessarily lead to reconciliation and many of the recommendations in the TRC final report are actionable by the City and our local government partners: Therefore be it resolved that the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and Federation of Canadian Municipalities urge the governments of British Columbia and Canada respectively, to undertake a review of the recommendations and provide a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on how they intend to move forward no later than December 31, 2015.
Ministry of Aboriginal Relations Reconciliation BC takes the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions calls to action seriously, including reconciliation that addresses objectives in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The BC government has long been committed to reconciliation in partnership with First Nations. With the guidance of First Nations leaders and Aboriginal people, the Province contributes to meaningful reconciliation in areas such as health, education, post-secondary and skills training, revenue and benefit sharing and economic opportunities. In education, government is working to ensure the history and legacy of residential schools is thoroughly covered in B.C.s K-12 education curriculum. As well, one professional development day for teachers will be focused on improving Aboriginal student learning.