((Chapter 6—Creating a Historical Record of Indian Residential Schools—Spring 2013 Report of the Auditor General)
Ottawa, 30 April 2013—The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada have been unable to cooperate, in the spirit of reconciliation, to create as complete as possible a historical record of the Indian residential school system and its legacy, says Michael Ferguson, Auditor General of Canada, in his Report tabled today in the House of Commons. Under an agreement reached in 2006, the Commission, working with the Department acting on behalf of Canada, was to create a historical record of Indian residential schools and establish a national research centre where the record is to be maintained.
“Documenting the history of Indian residential schools is an important part of the reconciliation process,” said Mr. Ferguson. “With the mandate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission running out in some 15 months, the Commission and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada have yet to agree on the work to be done.”
The audit found that the Commission and the Department have not cooperated and agreed on basic questions, such as which documents are relevant to the historical record, what timeframe should be covered, when the documents would be provided, in what formats and quality level, and who would cover what costs. These disagreements about the scope of the project have resulted in a situation where no one knows what is required to create the historical record, what remains to be done, and how much time and resources it will take to complete the work.
The Commission has selected an organization to host the national research centre and identified an approach to transfer its documents and assets to this organization. However, the audit found that it has yet to develop a detailed plan to resolve significant issues relating to this transfer, including privacy protection.
“We are concerned that the lack of cooperation, delays and looming deadline stand in the way of creating the historical record of Indian residential schools as it was originally intended,” said Mr. Ferguson.
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