After six years of emotional testimony, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has released its report on the horrors of Canada’s residential school system.
It calls the system nothing short of “cultural genocide,” noting seven generations of Indian, Metis and Inuit children were ripped from their families and their communities.
The commission’s report makes 94 recommendations — everything from greater police independence and reducing the number of aboriginal children in foster care to restrictions on the use of conditional and mandatory minimum sentences.
The last residential school — located outside of Regina — closed in 1996.
The chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission says he’s scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Justice Murray Sinclair announced the meeting during a news conference.
The report follows an extensive study into the church-run, government-funded institutions, which operated for more than 120 years.
Sinclair called the commission a difficult, inspiring and painful journey for everyone involved, including those who survived a dark chapter in Canadian history.
The scope of the commission, its report and its recommendations is staggering.
The full report, weighing in at six volumes and thousands of pages, will be released later this year.
(The Canadian Press)