Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme will be taking on a new role with an important committee.
In a media release published Tuesday, The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) along with Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) announced that Delorme will be serving as the chairperson for the Residential School Documents Advisory Committee.
The committee will be made up of survivors from First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities. There will also be expert representatives from the federal government on the committee. In his role as the committee’s chairperson Chief Delorme will be working to build consensus while making sure Indigenous voices are heard when it comes to identifying and sharing residential school documents. The committee will also be making recommendations to the federal government when it comes to removing barriers to accessing documents.
The establishing of this committee comes on the heels of a directive from Minister of Crown Indigenous Relations Marc Miller to set up a body that will be charged with finding and sharing documents that are historically important with the NCTR. The federal government said it is currently working to identify relevant documentation which has not been turned over.
In the media release Delorme explained what some of the committee’s goals will be.
“Today many local communities, ad hoc committees and First Nations are leading the way in the validation of unmarked graves attached to former residential schools. This advisory committee’s goal will help by empowering the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to house records many are seeking to help in their healing journey,” he said.
Delorme’s term as the committee’s chairperson is for five years.