ANALYSIS: The TRC’s 94 Calls to Action, Explained
Adrian Wyld/The Canadian University Press
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was formed to bring more awareness to the discrimination and marginalization Indigenous Peoples faced in the past and continue to face today. The TRC has said that reconciliation cannot begin unless Canadians know the historical experiences of Indigenous People on the land that is now called Canada, and recognize the continuing impacts of genocidal institutions.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was created in 2008 to guide Canadians in learning about the history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and begin reconciliation. The TRC’s website mentions that its “mandate was to inform all Canadians about what happened in residential schools. The TRC documented the truth of Survivors, their families, communities and anyone personally affected by the residential school experience. This included First Nations, Inuit and Métis former residential school students, their families, communities, the churches, former school employees, government officials and other Canadians.”
The final report compiled the stories of the 150,000 Indigenous Peoples who were forced to attend residential schools, included estimated death toll figures, and suggested ways the Canadian government could reconcile with Canada’s genocidal past.
The 94 Calls to Action are recommendations made by the TRC to be implemented by the federal, provincial, territorial, and Indigenous governments. These recommendations are divided into categories: education, child welfare, culture/language, health, justice, and reconciliation. Some examples are an inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, reducing the number of Indigenous children in foster care, creating university degrees in Indigenous languages, acknowledging that the health of Indigenous Peoples today is directly impacted by residential schools and previous discriminatory laws, and more.
As of October 2021, 20 of the calls had not begun, 32 hold project proposals, 29 are in progress, and only 13 are complete. While the final report was published in 2015, only 13 recommendations have been fully completed.
One reason as to why the vast majority of calls have yet to be implemented relates to how they are being implemented. More Indigenous voices have been included in the making of the BC’s new curriculum. However, Canadian Association of Social Work President, Dr. Susan Cadell, said that how schools teach Indigenous history varies widely. She stated that “some have courses that are optional [and] some have courses that are required.” Moreover, Cadell said that there is no specific information that is required to be included in all of the courses, meaning that the information being taught varies across the province.
Call 62 states that Canada is to “make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal Peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade 12 students”. In the Vancouver School District, only Van Tech and Eric Hamber offer BC First Peoples 12, and this class isn’t mandatory, meaning most students are not learning specifically about Indigenous history. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a time for Canada to reflect on the many Calls to Action that are yet to have been answered, and highlight the reconciliatory path forward.