"Spirit" and the Truth and Reconciliation process
Parting observations from Commissioners Claudette Dumont-Smith and Jane Morley
"If the Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation Commission is to succeed, it must be a process that supports, accommodates and starts with Spirit." (From a statement made on November 14, 2008, by a group of Elders from across Canada, all of whom had been students at an Indian Residential School)
On June 1, after one year as Commissioners, the time has come for us to transfer our responsibility for the process to a new set of Commissioners. We do so with a sense of hope, rekindled by what we have observed and reflected on over the last number of months - reflections that we will pass on to the new Commissioners.
To stimulate our reflections, we have engaged in conversations with a wide cross-section of individuals. We have observed the force of what the Elders would call Spirit in the enthusiasm and creativity generated by those conversations. We have observed it in the numerous reconciliation initiatives across the country.
We have reflected that reconciliation requires the healing of the mind, body and spirit, and that healing is not just needed for individuals, families or communities whose spirits were broken by the Indian Residential school experience or its legacy. It is needed for Canada as a nation.
By insisting upon the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as part of their settlement agreement, the plaintiffs to the class action have given Canada the opportunity to rectify its past history and the legacy of the Indian Residential School experience – a history and legacy that is so jarringly inconsistent with Canada’s perception of itself as an international advocate of human rights.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will, at long last, provide the space for Aboriginal peoples and non-Aboriginal Canadians to come together, confront the past, reflect on it, understand its relevance to the present, allow the spirit to heal, and move on to a better future, more consistent with our shared values.
And it will work, but only if we all follow the Elders’ guidance by supporting, accommodating and remembering the role of "Spirit" in the process.
It has been an enormous privilege to be a part of this process. While our position as Commissioners is ending, our support for the process will continue.
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