Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez named 16 people on the committee tasked with establishing a national monument in Ottawa that will honor victims and survivors of residential schools.
In particular, the committee must ensure that the work respects Aboriginal values by providing advice on matters such as site selection, developing design competition, preparation of educational content and field programmingwe found out in a press release published on Friday.
The committee will consist of seven residential school survivors: Cree Doris Young, Cree Eugene Arcand, Atikamekw Madeleine Basile, Mi’kmaw Dorene Bernard, Tahltan Terrri Brown, Métis Jimmy Durocher, Inuk Noel Kaludjak; of three descendants of survivors: Coast Salish community member Evan Adams, Inuk Tracy Denniston and Anishinaabe Stephanie Scott, who is also director of the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation.
Kitigan elder Zibi Claudette Commanda, Métis Georgina Liberty, Reverend James Scott, Anishinaabe and government representative Gina Wilson, former Truth and Reconciliation Commission commissioner Marie Wilson and honorary witness to Truth and Reconciliation David Wong are also on the committee.
The construction of this monument was announced in August, following discoveries of unmarked graves near former residential schools for Aboriginals across the country.
In its call to action 81, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission also called on the federal government to erect such a monument in the federal capital.
Members are selected through a process of direct nominations and public nominations led by the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation.
The committee will hold its first virtual meeting in early May 2022. Each member will serve at least two years.
The National Monument of Residential Schools […] provide a place to express grief, heal wounds and uncover the past. Indigenous and all Canadians can come together to mourn and pay tribute to the survivors and to the memory of the children taken from their families and communities.wrote Minister Rodriguez in a press release.
The Residential Schools National Monument will stand in recognition of the painful legacy of Canada’s residential school system and will support Indigenous peoples in their healing efforts. With guidance from the Steering Committee, this commemorative project will testify to the lasting impact of this tragedy on survivors.written by Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller.
Source: Radio-Canada
