OTTAWA — The Canadian Federation of Library Associations is calling on federal cabinet ministers to support full public release of the remaining residential school records held by the Catholic Church and the government.
OTTAWA — The Canadian Federation of Library Associations is calling on federal cabinet ministers to support full public release of the remaining residential school records held by the Catholic Church and the government.
It says the federal government has pledged to turn over 12,000 residential school documents after calls from the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation, which has archived more than five million documents and 6,000 witness statements.
The ACFL says in a statement released today that the records are important to understanding the injustices and human rights violations committed in the residential school system and are integral to “achieving justice” for indigenous communities.
The ACFL says that for the Pope’s recent visit to Canada to have an impact on reconciliation, steps must be taken to uncover the full truth about the residential school system.
The call comes a day before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Friday.
Earlier this year, the federal government announced an agreement with the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation to turn over thousands of documents, after the center said last fall that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was wrong when he told a gathering of native leaders on Tk’emlups Secwepemc territory that he had surrendered everything he owned.
Survivors and Indigenous leaders have long called on the federal government to release the remaining records it had refused to fully release, citing legal obligations it owed to third parties, including Catholic entities that operated the institutions.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 29, 2022.
The Canadian Press
