Misplaced Pages

#538461

62-397: The first Mission City CPR station was built in 1882, at a site near St. Mary's Mission , further to the east. Subsequent railway stations were located at Mission City Junction on the western end of Railway Avenue, at the foot of Grand Street, slightly to the west of the current commuter rail station. First station at the junction was in 1885 and a second railway station was built in 1892 in

124-625: A January 2013 order of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice . The commission needed additional time to review these documents. The commission held its closing event in Ottawa from May 31 to June 3, 2015, including a ceremony at Rideau Hall with Governor General David Johnston . The mandate of IRSSA required the TRC to gather testimonies from the residential school's survivors. The testimonies were claimed to be necessary in order for

186-617: A blunt catalogue of findings typical of Royal Commissions, providing a long list of mini-studies of various phenomena with scarcely an academic veneer." In March 2017, Lynn Beyak , a Conservative member of the Senate Standing Committee of Aboriginal Peoples, voiced disapproval of the final TRC report, claiming that it had omitted an "abundance of good" that she thought was present in the schools. Her comments were widely criticized, including by Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett and leader of

248-464: A document that was essentially oral history but which was treated upon publication as an unquestionable record of the facts endorsed by the federal government. Everything about the way the commission gathered its testimony was structured to encourage atrocity tales: witnesses testified in public, with audiences that sometimes booed positive statements; boxes of tissues were placed on seats and attendees told their used tissues would be collected and burned in

310-575: A finding would imply a legal responsibility of the Canadian government that would be difficult to prove. As a result, the debate about whether the Canadian government also committed physical and biological genocide against Indigenous populations remains open. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) was established at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, as an archive to hold

372-529: A mandate of documenting the history and impacts of the residential school system. About 70 percent of the schools were administered, with government funds, by the Catholic Church . As explained in the 2013 Spring Report of the Auditor General of Canada , a key part of the TRC mandate included "creating as complete a historical record as possible of the residential school system and legacy." It

434-518: A member of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation , has argued that the TRC's focus on the residential school system positioned reconciliation as a matter of "overcoming a 'sad chapter' in [Canadian] history," which failed to recognize the ongoing nature and impact of colonialism . For Coulthard, reconciliation being tied solely to the residential school system and actions of the past explains why Prime Minister Stephen Harper

496-578: A multi-city Remembering the Children tour to promote activities of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. On January 21–22, 2008, the King's University College of Edmonton, Alberta, held an interdisciplinary studies conference on the subject of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee. On June 11 of the same year, Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized for the role of past governments in administration of

558-600: A new government-run residential school of the same name on the eastern border of the Mission property, and the Roman Catholic school was closed. All the buildings of the former school were demolished in 1965 as they had deteriorated badly with age. When the government-run school was closed in 1984, it was the last functioning residential school in British Columbia. Corporal punishment was rarely used in

620-555: A newer gymnasium built in the late 1940s or early 1950s. A grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes , first built in 1892, became the site of yearly pilgrimages , religious ceremonies, and passion plays. The neighboring cemetery served as the burial site for all priests, nuns and students of the Mission with the first priest buried there in 1870. In its early days, the school emphasized academics and Catholic catechism, but its focus shifted to agricultural and industrial skills. Parents were allowed to visit and some families camped around

682-407: A platform for reconciliation. The approach by the commission to engage with Indigenous Peoples when and how it is most convenient for non-Indigenous Canadians can be seen as "yet another form of settler colonialism." Because Indigenous "recognition and reconciliation, from a Canadian perspective, [is] focused only on the wrongs of the past, and the situation as it exists today is ignored." Unlike

SECTION 10

#1732776667539

744-472: A scathing criticism of it, titled "Truth and Reconciliation report tells a 'skewed and partial story' of residential schools". Hymie Rubenstein, a retired professor of anthropology and Rodney A. Clifton, former residential school employee in the 1960s, co-penned an editorial questioning the truthfulness of the Report. In it, they held that, while the residential school program had been harmful to many students,

806-680: A senior executive with the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and Wilton Littlechild , former Conservative Member of Parliament and Alberta regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations , were appointed to replace commissioners Dumont-Smith and Morley. Sandy White Hawk , a Sicangu Lakota adoptee from the Rosebud Reservation , South Dakota Honorary Witness of

868-634: A “sacred fire”; financial compensation was greater for those who could credibly claim to have suffered abuse, so alleging bad treatment could be the difference between getting $ 25,000 or $ 125,000. In August 2018, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society announced the release of the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada , an encyclopedia with content including information about indigenous lands, languages, communities, treaties, and cultures, and topics such as

930-507: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). The government also conducted their own assessment . In 2016 and 2017, historian Ian Mosby evaluated how many of the calls to action had been completed at the one year and two year anniversary marks. In 2016, he concluded that only five calls were complete and three calls were partially complete, leaving 86 calls unmet. In 2017, his evaluation showed that only 7 of

992-583: The Canadian Indian residential school system , racism, and cultural appropriation . It was created to address the Calls to Action, among them the development of "culturally appropriate curricula" for Aboriginal Canadian students. The Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, and Finland have established truth and reconciliation commissions to address the colonialization of the Saami people which are modelled on

1054-473: The Department of Indian Affairs . The Missing Children Project is an organization that is dedicated to identifying the children who died during their time at the residential schools. The documentation is done through intensive research as well as analyzing the different conditions the students were facing. In June 2015, the TRC released a summary report of its findings and "94 Calls to Action" to "redress

1116-533: The New Democratic Party Tom Mulcair , though some Conservative senators claimed her opinions were an expression of free speech . The Anglican Church also raised concerns, stating in a release co-signed by bishops Fred Hiltz and Mark MacDonald : "There was nothing good about children going missing and no report being filed. There was nothing good about burying children in unmarked graves far from their ancestral homes." In response,

1178-568: The Ontario Court of Appeal was named to chair the commission. He resigned on October 20, 2008, citing insubordination by the two other commissioners, Claudette Dumont-Smith and Jane Brewin Morley. Laforme said they wanted to focus primarily on uncovering and documenting truth while he wanted to also have an emphasis on reconciliation between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians. In addition: "The two commissioners are unprepared to accept that

1240-734: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa , the Canadian commission was not a federal or state-led initiative. It was developed as part of a legal settlement, the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement , between various residential school survivor groups, the Assembly of First Nations , various Church bodies, and the Government of Canada. As such, the TRC had no powers of subpoena ; no power to offer known perpetrators of abuse

1302-477: The "Y" of the tracks. The most recent 1909 CPR station building, which had been recognized as a municipal historic site in 1982, was destroyed by fire in 1999. Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway have a track sharing agreement, with all freight trains operating eastbound through the station on the CPR tracks. Mission City is served by five West Coast Express trains per day in each direction: five in

SECTION 20

#1732776667539

1364-433: The 94 calls had been completed. At the end of 2020, his evaluation (together with Eva Jewell) is that only 8 calls had been fully implemented. In 2018 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation established Beyond 94 , a website to track the status of each call to action. As of March 2018, 10 were marked as completed, 15 were in-progress with projects underway, 25 had projects proposed, and 44 were unmet. As of July 29, 2019,

1426-643: The Conservative Party leadership removed Beyak from the Senate committee underscoring that her comments did not align with the views of the party. Conservative Commentator Helen Andrews writing in The American Conservative criticized the process: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a major tactical error on Harper’s part. It invited testimony from survivors and then let that testimony stand unquestioned...this resulted in

1488-410: The TRC concentrated its efforts largely on 'psychological' healing through the gathering and airing of stories; however, it lacked significant institutional change, particularly change to the kinds of government institutions involved in residential schools and other forms of colonial domination. Another criticism of the commission is that reconciliation is introduced "on terms still largely dictated by

1550-567: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Residential Schools in Canada. The TRC contributed to not only educating the public about the reality of the residential schools, but also led to creating organizations such as the Missing Children Project . Over the course of the residential schools, thousands of children died as a result of diseases, suicide, malnutrition, etc. In 1917, the death rates stopped from being documented by

1612-487: The act of restoring a once harmonious relationship. The commission came under criticism for using the term in their name, however, as it implies that there was once a harmonious relationship between settlers and Indigenous Peoples that is being restored, while that relationship may never have existed in Canada. The use of reconciliation thereby perpetuates such myth by continuing to deny "the existence of pre-contact Aboriginal sovereignty." Justice Harry S. Laforme of

1674-463: The building as well as various community initiatives like a daycare, and self-defense classes. Fraser River Heritage Park remains home to the school cemetery. In 2021, the Stó:lō Nation announced a three-year study of the likelihood of unmarked graves at Fraser Valley residential schools, including around the cemetery in Mission. A historic 1958 funeral photo shows at least twelve graves outside

1736-560: The calls to action were focused on creating better relations between the federal and provincial governments of Canada and Indigenous nations, with an emphasis on creating a reconciled relationship. The proposed actions are identified in the following sub-categories: The degree of implementation has been assessed differently by observers. Two of the most prominent asessements are conducted by the Yellowhead Institute at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University ) and

1798-709: The cemetery fence line, an area now covered by blackberry bushes with the iron cross grave markers lying along the cemetery perimeter. In addition to searches of the known graveyard, they plan to search for any unrecorded graves as informal burials is not uncommon among Stó:lō communities. Although no progress had been made, a memorial house post carving was erected at the Pekw'Xe:yles Indian Reserve to honor victims of abuse and those that passed away. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada ( TRC ; French : Commission de vérité et réconciliation du Canada [ CVR ])

1860-560: The commission and testimonies collected from residential school survivors during TRC events. The final report summarized the work of the TRC and included the following sections: The report noted that an estimated 150,000 children attended residential schools during its 120-year history and an estimated 3200 of those children died in the residential schools. From the 70,000 former IRS students still alive, there were 31,970 sexual or serious sexual assault cases resolved by Independent Assessment Process, and 5,995 claims were still in progress as of

1922-458: The commission had shown "indifference to robust evidence gathering, comparative or contextual data, and cause-effect relationships," which resulted in the commission's report telling "a skewed and partial story". According to Rubenstein and Clifton, the Truth and Reconciliation Report did not compare its findings with rates and causes of mortality among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children attending public schools. Rubenstein and Clifton noted that

Mission City station - Misplaced Pages Continue

1984-431: The commission was "yet another very expensive prise de conscience designed to keep the light on a painful aspect of the Canadian experience", and that the volumes on residential schools "barely pretends to be an academic document." He went on to claim that "The study makes no attempt to put things in perspective, to show how practices evolved or to compare the Canadian experience with that of other countries. It is, rather,

2046-547: The construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway . A new school was built in 1933. Mission City was named after this institution. Boys and girls had separate dormitories. The girls' residence also housed the nuns' quarters, an infirmary, a recreation room and a chapel. The boys' residence housed the boys on the third floor, the Oblate priests on the second floor, and had a chapel, play hall and classroom on

2108-516: The country. The TRC emphasizes that it has a priority of displaying the impacts of the residential schools to the Canadians who have been kept in the dark from these matters. In June 2015, the TRC released an executive summary of its findings along with 94 "calls to action" regarding reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous Peoples. The commission officially concluded in December 2015 with

2170-555: The early years of the school. However, that policy ended as the school was integrated into the federal residential school system. Many students reported experiencing physical and sexual abuse at the school, with the Indian Residential School Survivors Society characterising the abuse in the 1960s as "nightmarish." In 2004, Gerald Moran, a former employee, was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault that he committed during his time at

2232-441: The first floor. The complex also featured a bakery, a tennis court used by the priests and nuns, an automotive shop for vehicle repairs and vocational training for the boys, a farm that included equipment, root cellar, resources, silo, slaughterhouse, pig and bull pens, dairy and milking barn where prize-winning Holsteins were raised by the priests and the boys, a laundry house run by the nuns and students and an older boxing gym and

2294-616: The government-run school were initially leased to the Coqualeetza Training Centre, and in 2005, were returned to the Stó:lō as reserve lands. The land formally regained its Stó:lô name of Pekw'Xe:yles and is used by 21 different First Nations governments. There is a newer St. Mary's school just outside of Heritage Park. A native-owned company, Monague Crafts Ltd., leases the newer building. Fraser Valley Aboriginal Child and Family Services (Xyolhemeylh) also operates out of

2356-455: The legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation." The calls to action were divided into two categories: "Legacy" and "Reconciliation." The Legacy section of the calls to action focused on redressing the harms resulting from the Indian residential schools (IRS), the proposed actions are identified in the following sub-categories: The Reconciliation section of

2418-425: The mandate to create a historical record of the legacy and impacts of the residential schools. The historical record was also important in educating the public on "the truth of what happened" in Canada. The records of the testimonies and documents of the residential schools are open to the public in a National Research Centre. Between 2008 and 2014 the TRC gathered what is estimated to be around 7000 testimonies from

2480-601: The mandated aspects of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA). As part of the negotiated IRSSA, a $ 60 million budget over five years was established for the work of the TRC to take place. A one-year extension was granted in January 2014 to allow for the completion of the TRC's mandate, extending the conclusion of the commission to June 2015. The commission was founded as an arms-length organization with

2542-539: The morning to Vancouver, and five in the evening to Mission. In addition, rail service is supplemented by TransLink 's 701 bus route. Eight of its daily trips (two in the morning, two in the afternoon, and four in the evening), are extended between Coquitlam Central station and Mission City station, running non-stop between Haney Place Exchange and Mission City station. Service does not run on weekends. Bus bay assignments are as follows: St. Mary%27s Indian Residential School St. Mary's Indian Residential School

Mission City station - Misplaced Pages Continue

2604-543: The possibility of amnesty in exchange for honest testimony about any abuses that may have been committed. Further, the commission could not explicitly "name names" or accuse individuals; perpetrators held accountable via the commission. Therefore, the Canadian commission heard primarily from former students. The same week the Final Report was released, two retired professors from the University of Manitoba published

2666-519: The public testimonies, survivors detailed their experiences surrounding the residential schools. These regularly consisted of memories of being stripped of their language and culture as well as experiences of abuse, sexual assault and malnutrition. The Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was named in a similar fashion to the commissions by the same name in Chile in 1990 and South Africa in 1996 . In this context, reconciliation refers to

2728-508: The publication of a multi-volume final report that concluded the school system amounted to cultural genocide . The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation , which opened at the University of Manitoba in November 2015, is an archival repository home to the research, documents, and testimony collected during the course of the TRC's operation. The TRC was established in June 2008 as one of

2790-428: The report also failed to consider Indian residential schools were typically located in rural areas far from hospitals, making treatment more difficult to acquire. They describe it as "bad research". In an essay defending John A. Macdonald from the claim of having committed genocide, Patrice Dutil, a professor of politics and public administration at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), claimed that

2852-433: The report's release. The TRC concluded that the removal of children from the influence of their own culture with the intent of assimilating them into the dominant Canadian culture amounted to cultural genocide . The ambiguity of the TRC's phrasing allowed for the interpretation that physical and biological genocide also occurred. The TRC was not authorized to conclude that physical and biological genocide occurred, as such

2914-451: The research, documents, and testimony collected by the TRC during its operation. The NCTR opened to the public in November 2015 and holds more than five million documents relating to the legacy of residential schools in Canada. A number of critiques about the TRC have been put forward by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers, ranging from its scope and motivating framework to its methodology and conclusions. Professor Glen Coulthard ,

2976-472: The residential schools. Later, in 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also vocalized an apology to those who were victims of the residential schools. The commission's mandate was originally scheduled to end in 2014, with a final event in Ottawa. However, it was extended to 2015 as numerous records related to residential schools were provided to the commission in 2014 by Library and Archives Canada following

3038-720: The school and the Catholic Church. The grounds of the Catholic mission school became a part of Fraser River Heritage Park in 1986 thanks to efforts by the Mission Heritage Association. A new bell tower was constructed in 2000 and houses the original 1875 bell from the mission. In 2001, the Mission Indian Friendship Centre provided funds to build a covered picnic shelter in the park. After 1985, land and buildings of

3100-416: The school as part of a pilgrimage. Students were also allowed to visit the town of Mission until 1948. According to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, many former students have "fond memories" of their time at the school. However, other students were abused and at least 22 either died or went missing at the school. The last graduating class was in 1958. In 1961, students were moved to

3162-497: The school system. The mandate of the TRC included hosting seven national reconciliation events, collecting all relevant archival documents relating to the residential schools from church and government bodies, collecting statements from survivors, and overseeing a commemoration fund to support community reconciliation events. The TRC's mandate emphasized preserving and exposing the true history of residential schools. In March 2008, Indigenous leaders and church officials embarked on

SECTION 50

#1732776667539

3224-589: The school. He was sentenced to three years in prison. In 2012 thanks to a $ 200,000 grant from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to the Abbotsford Sumas band , Leq’a:mel band in Mission, St. Joseph's Catholic Church, and North Fraser Community Church, a monument was carved by Sumas artists from a 450-year-old red cedar and installed in Fraser River Heritage Park to celebrate the reconciliation between victims of abuse at

3286-449: The site has been updated to mark 10 calls to action completed, 21 in-progress with projects underway, 37 in-progress with projects proposed, and 26 "not yet started." As of June 22, 2021 , the CBC has marked the following 13 calls to action as "complete": In December 2015, the TRC released its final report. The report was based on primary and secondary source research undertaken by

3348-418: The state," rather than allowing a grassroots movement to gain traction or forms of 'moral protest' to develop. Because it was the government that initiated the process of reconciliation and set the terms of it, some critics argued that the colonial power is dictating the terms of their colonial subjects' healing, and "[imposing] a time limit on 'healing'", in order to move past; it makes it less effective as

3410-408: The structure of the commission requires that the commission's course is to be charted and its objectives are to be shaped ultimately through the authority and leadership of its chair." Although Dumont-Smith and Morley denied the charge and initially stayed on, both resigned in January 2009. On June 10, 2009, Murray Sinclair was appointed to replace Laforme as chairperson of the TRC. Marie Wilson ,

3472-401: The survivors, most from those who had attended the schools after the 1940s. The testimonies were gathered in both public and private settings, such as community hearings, sharing circles, Commissioners Sharing Panels, etc. The Commissioners Panels often brought large audiences, drawing hundreds of audience members and reporters with testimonies regularly being recorded and posted online. During

3534-447: The way the TRC historicizes the events of colonialism and fails to emphasize that uneven Indigenous-non-Indigenous relationships are perpetual and ongoing. Historicizing is further evident in the TRC's 'Principles of Reconciliation' where reconciliation is framed as grappling with harms of the past. This wrongly implies that colonialism is not ongoing and is not a continuing part of current government policy. Because of this historicizing,

3596-513: Was a truth and reconciliation commission active in Canada from 2008 to 2015, organized by the parties of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement . The commission was officially established on June 1, 2008, with the purpose of documenting the history and lasting impacts of the Canadian Indian residential school system on Indigenous students and their families. It provided residential school survivors an opportunity to share their experiences during public and private meetings held across

3658-499: Was able to apologize for the system in 2008 and, a year later, claim that there is no history of colonialism in Canada. Professors Brian Rice, a member of the Mohawk Nation , and Anna Snyder agree with Coulthard's critique of the focus on residential schools as the singular issue to reconcile noting that the schools were only "one aspect of a larger project to absorb or assimilate Aboriginal people". Many writers have observed

3720-410: Was also tasked with preserving collected records documenting the residential school system and those created over the course of the commission's work for future management at a national research centre. While undertaking this task the TRC spent six years travelling to different parts of Canada to hear the testimony of more than 6,500 witnesses including residential school survivors and others impacted by

3782-600: Was opened by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1863 as a small boarding school for boys and housed 42 indigenous students its first year. It was named after Saint Mary of Egypt . A separate school for girls was opened on the same site in 1868 and operated by the Sisters of Saint Anne . It operated near the Fraser River for nearly two decades, then moved further uphill in 1882 to make room for

SECTION 60

#1732776667539

3844-542: Was the name of two Indian residential schools in Mission, British Columbia . The first was operated by the Roman Catholic Church of Canada , and the second was operated by the Canadian federal government. Approximately 2,000 children attended the schools while they were in operation, most of them Stó:lō . St. Mary's Mission and Residential School was founded in 1861 by Father Leon Fouquet and initially

#538461