Federal Government Announces TRC Extension
- EFN Staff | November 15, 2013
The federal government has announced it will extend the mandate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
"I am pleased to announce that the Government of Canada will work with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the parties to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, as well as the Ontario Superior Court to provide the Commission with a one-year extension to its operating period, until June 30, 2015, as requested by the Commission," wrote Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, in a news release.
The announcement was welcomed by the Assembly of First Nations.
"The legacy of residential schools continues to impact all of us, and support for the important work of the TRC will help all Canadians become aware of the realities faced by First Nations historically and today," said AFN National Chief Shawn Atleo. "The work of the TRC will help Canadians understand why this is so important to First Nations and how we can move forward together to reconciliation."
Valcourt says the extention will allow the Commission sufficient time to complete its mandate, including writing its final report and receiving those documents held at Library and Archives Canada.