For reconciliation educator Susan Beaudin, the images covering the walls of the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre are much more than just art – they’re an acknowledgement of a shameful history.
Commemorating the 5th Anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report
Five years ago this month, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) published its six-volume Final Report, with its 94 Calls to Action. The “Final Report” includes the Calls to Action that address educational institutions and the churches that were administrators of residential schools, including the Catholic Church.
The TRC Final Report was an invitation to our nation and to our churches to open our eyes to the suffering experienced by Indigenous people as a result of colonization and efforts to force their assimilation, most notably through the residential school system. The Final Report did not give up on the churches, but rather, summoned us to conversion. Being faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ today requires that we own past sins and mistakes, and learn how to walk in solidarity with Indigenous people in building a different and better future together.