Weblog (Mod. 2 – WL 2)

http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=3

This is the website of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

The TRC has a mandate to learn the truth of what happened in residential schools and to pass that information on to all of Canada.  They follow records, interview survivors, talk to operators, essentially gathering all the information they can on the residential school experience.

They were over 130 residential schools located all across Canada, with the last closing in BC in 1984.  1,000s of British Columbians were affected by the tragedy.  Often having school aged children taken against their will.  In 2008, the Assembly of First Nations and Inuit took the government and churches to court, leading the largest class-action settlement in Canadian history.  In June of 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally apologized on behalf of the Government of Canada.

In addition to gathering background information, the TRC is also responsible for hosting several national events each year and supporting education around this subject.  Recently, the TRC has also supported the Missing Children Research Project.  In fact, their mandate is extremely comprehensive.

However, perhaps the best part of this website is the expansive list of websites and links.  It connects the user with numerous Aboriginal groups and Government websites to assist in research.

This is definitely a website I plan on using in the project.  It will most likely be used to show what the government has done in light of the court cases and to highlight some of the material they found.

Moore