Speech - Remarks by Justice Harry S. LaForme

Ahneen, Good morning

Let me begin by saying how sincerely humbled I am by the trust and responsibility that has been placed in me. Nevertheless I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve my people and my country. I am extremely proud to be living in a country that is prepared to look at and understand its past.

To Minister Strahl, I say thank you for your leadership and your tireless effort that has culminated in this Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I am grateful for your support and friendship.

National Chief Phil Fontaine, my Friend, all I can say to you is well done.

You have risen above your childhood experiences and have chosen to avoid the corrosive acid of hate. As such you have set yourself, your people and all Canadians upon the life-affirming path of truth, healing and reconciliation. Miigwetch

Let me also say thank you to Minister Prentice. He has been so vitally instrumental in bringing Canada to this historical point in time.

I acknowledge the dedication of the many individuals whose efforts have led us to this day and in particular the staff of the Office of the Interim Executive Director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

I pay homage to the former students and all the survivors of the residential school system. Your pain, your courage, your perseverance and your profound commitment to truth made this Commission a reality.

You, the 90,000 living survivors, are so very worthy of our respect and of our commitment to ensure that your voices are heard. The stories of your families and of your communities are the core of the legacy of the residential schools.

The spirits of the 150,000 Aboriginal, Métis and Inuit children who attended residential schools will be ever present in the heart and soul of the Commission. Through their experiences truth will be made known, healing will begin and sincere reconciliation made possible.

Because of this history, tremendous harm has been done to relationships within and between individuals, families, communities, peoples, Churches and Government.

I acknowledge and appreciate the desire and the commitment of Churches, Governments and former staff to participate with honesty and humility in this Commission.

Let us be clear at the outset: The Commission will operate independent from Government, the Church and First Nations and other Canadians. Unfettered access to church and government archives - which has been agreed to - will assist with understanding and recording the history of the residential school era.

The Commission is unique in the world. It will look into events that spanned about 150 years and across an entire nation. This examination into the experiences and treatment of children distinguishes this Truth and Reconciliation Commission from all others that have been undertaken to date.

Its legal authority comes from the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement; the implementation of which is through court judgments and is Court supervised. Government, Churches, First Nations, Métis, Inuit and residential school survivors created the Settlement Agreement and agreed that it would include this Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

All of us Aboriginal people in some way have been impacted by the Indian Residential School tragedy. I thought hard before accepting this position. Janice and I had numerous late into the night conversations about what the right thing was to do. Fundamentally this Commission is about our children, our Canada and the type of world we want for our children; I looked at my seven year old son; there was only one right decision.

So here I am; I am an Aboriginal/Anishinabe man. I bring with me aboriginal beliefs and the principles of restorative justice.

The work that the Commission is about to embark upon is a continuation of past efforts and represents a new starting point from which the objectives of the Commission and its creation will begin to be realized.

These objectives include preparing a report and providing recommendations concerning the Indian Residential School System and experience.

In doing so, the Commission is to take a holistic (or all inclusive) view that is “forward looking in terms of rebuilding and renewing Aboriginal relationships and the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.”

When I hear the stories from the students, many have this great faith and hope for the future. This Commission will look to the past to learn for the sake of the present and with great hope for the future.

The Commission is about the recognition, restoration and preservation of human dignity and respect for lost ancestors, for present day survivors, and for future generations and this will resonate through and benefit all aspects of Canadian society, its multiple cultures and its multiple legal and political structures.

In committing itself to explore the truth of the Indian Residential School era, the Commission prepares to hear and to understand the multiple voices of the past with eyes, ears, minds and hearts that are open and compassionate that will not ignore or mask the truth of that past.

I appreciate that the Commission is but one part of the continuing effort of reconciling our peoples' different pasts, their divergent aspirations, and sometimes-conflicting visions of the future.

I believe that if the Commission does its work reliably, being faithful to its objectives, we will better know ourselves as peoples and will come out of the Indian Residential School experience enhanced and stronger.

Then - to our children; to those individuals who were deeply part of the Indian residential school experience - we will be able to say - in the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu:

We have looked the beast in the eye. We have come to terms with our horrendous past and it will no longer keep us hostage and looking at our past. Thus, we commit ourselves to “NEVER AGAIN!” (Archbishop Desmond Tutu Oct. 29, 1998)

And we will say this with meaning, more able to keep the trust of that commitment.

Chi-Meegwetch.