The Truth & Reconciliation Commission's reports provide an extraordinary resource to non-indigenous Canadians to learn about the history and lasting impacts of the Canadian Indian residential school system on Indigenous students and their families. The Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established in June 2008 as one of the mandated aspects of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, and was chaired by Senator Murray Sinclair. The Commission reports include:
- Calls to Action – in order to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation, the TRC makes 94 calls to action
- Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future – summary of the final report of the TRC
- What We Have Learned – principles of truth and reconciliation
- The Survivors Speak – in this report residential school survivors speak of their pain, loneliness and suffering, and of their accomplishments
In addition to the Truth & Reconciliation Commission, the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRRSA) signaled the commencement of three more initiatives: a Common Experience Payment, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and an Independent Assessment Process (IAP). The IRRSA designated $1.9 billion to provide compensation for all surviving former residents of Indian Residential Schools. The Agreement also provided a 5-year endowment for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation in the amount of $125 million. And finally, through the IAP, claims were adjudicated and compensation was provided to former students who had suffered abuse at residential schools.
The claims filed under the IAP have now been resolved and the work of the IAP itself is now concluded. In 2021, the Oversight Committee of the IAP issued its Final Report. The report is dedicated to the continuation of "the healing journeys of residential school survivors, their families, communities and Nations".
You can download all five reports from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at https://nctr.ca/records/reports/.