Commemoration
Learn how the Government of Canada is responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action 79 to 83.
Based on data provided June 2023.
- Call to Action 79 is based on data provided June 2023.
- Call to Action 81 is based on data provided September 2023.
79. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Survivors, Aboriginal organizations, and the arts community, to develop a reconciliation framework for Canadian heritage and commemoration. This would include, but not be limited to:
- Amending the Historic Sites and Monuments Act to include First Nations, Inuit, and Métis representation on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and its Secretariat.
- Revising the policies, criteria, and practices of the National Program of Historical Commemoration to integrate Indigenous history, heritage values, and memory practices into Canada's national heritage and history.
- Developing and implementing a national heritage plan and strategy for commemorating residential school sites, the history and legacy of residential schools, and the contributions of Aboriginal peoples to Canada's history.
Background
Perspectives and interpretations of Canada's history have changed a lot over the last century and through Call to Action 79, the Government of Canada will continue to work to acknowledge the legacies of its past.
To begin efforts in addressing Call to Action 79, Budget 2018 allocated $23.9 million to Parks Canada ($15.2 million of new funding in addition to $8.7 million of existing resources) over 6 years from 2018 to 2024 to advance initiatives that include:
- policy and legislative updates;
- increased visibility and support for Indigenous histories in Canada;
- commemorations related to the history and legacy of residential schools.
In the fall of 2022, Parks Canada received authorities to access a $25 million allocation from Budget 2022, for the purposes of continuing the work that began in 2018 to commemorate the legacy and history of residential schools in Canada.
Until March 2025, the additional funding will provide continued support for the development and installation of commemorative markers associated with residential school sites and Survivor communities under the National Program of Historical Commemoration, and gatherings related to their installation or unveiling. It will also provide continued support for the co-development of new residential school nominations and accelerate the review of existing designations related to residential schools.
The funding will provide support for outreach and engagement to support residential school commemoration and its integration into Parks Canada's public history programs and initiatives; and for the continuation of the Stories of Canada initiative, which is designed to transform the historical narrative at Parks Canada heritage places by giving voice to Indigenous peoples and ensuring that the history and legacy of residential schools is fully represented and acknowledged.
Call to Action 79(i)
On June 7, 2022, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, introduced Bill C-23, the Historic Places of Canada Act, in the House of Commons.
The Bill, if passed by Parliament as written, would create three new positions for First Nation, Métis and Inuit representation on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The Bill would also improve the integration of Indigenous history, heritage values, and memory practices into national heritage and history in Canada, thereby creating greater opportunities to protect and present the contributions of Indigenous peoples to cultural and natural heritage.
In support of Call to Action 79(i), Budget 2021 announced the government's intent to implement legislation that would provide for a transparent designation framework and the sustainable protection of over 300 federally owned historic places. The Budget proposed to provide $28.7 million over 5 years, and $5.8 million ongoing, to the Parks Canada Agency to implement the legislation, if enacted.
While the legislative proposal was being developed, non-legislative barriers to Indigenous participation as board members of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada were identified and addressed.
Actions taken include:
- outreach to encourage Indigenous candidates to apply for vacancies on the Board
- revisions to the required qualifications
- generating better awareness of vacancies amongst potential Indigenous applicants
As a result, 2 current appointees to the Board, representing Yukon and the Northwest Territories, identify as Indigenous persons.
Call to Action 79(ii)
In response to Call to Action 79 (ii), the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Government of Canada's priority to advance reconciliation, Parks Canada is conducting an in-depth review of its cultural heritage policies to ensure that a renewed policy suite recognizes the diversity of Indigenous peoples' perspectives, values and knowledge systems.
In 2018, Parks Canada welcomed Indigenous cultural heritage practitioners, experts, Elders and academics to engage in discussions about the commemoration and protection of cultural heritage. As recommended during these gatherings, Parks Canada established the Indigenous Cultural Heritage Advisory Council in December 2019. Parks Canada maintains ongoing dialogue with members of the Council to seek input and guidance on specific cultural heritage policy review components. The Council has been providing Parks Canada with valuable advice for implementing Call to Action 79 and advancing reconciliation.
In 2019, the Minister for Parks Canada approved the Framework for History and Commemoration: National Historic Sites System Plan 2019. This plan provides policy direction for the review of existing designations of national historic significance to:
- address absences of Indigenous histories
- take into account Indigenous perspectives and established Indigenous histories as a priority for the national program of historical commemoration
In 2020, Parks Canada collaborated with the Indigenous Heritage Circle to co-host three regional engagement sessions with Elders, Indigenous heritage professionals and Indigenous partners to review the cultural heritage policies at Parks Canada. The Indigenous Heritage Circle's report, 2020 Indigenous Heritage Engagement Sessions: Report from the Indigenous Heritage Circle to Parks Canada, provides recommendations for renewing cultural heritage policies and relationships with Indigenous peoples.
In 2021 and 2022, Parks Canada engaged 40 Indigenous and modern treaty organizations who have a vested interest in cultural heritage to seek their input on:
- topics relevant to a potential historic places legislation
- the renewal of Parks Canada's Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Policy
In December 2022, Parks Canada began sharing a "What We Heard" report which summarizes input received during the 2021-22 engagement with Indigenous partners. This report serves as the basis for the renewal of key Parks Canada cultural heritage policy instruments that are currently under review.
In January 2023, after undertaking a multidisciplinary analysis of recommendations received during the 2021 to 2022 engagement, and through further engagement with members of Parks Canada's Indigenous Cultural Heritage Advisory Council, Parks Canada completed a first draft of a renewed Cultural Resource Management policy.
In February 2023, Parks Canada reconnected with Indigenous partners to seek their input and feedback on the first draft of the renewed CRM policy. Engagement will continue through 2023. Members of Parks Canada's Indigenous Cultural Heritage Advisory Council also participated in two days of meetings in Calgary to discuss topics such as the repatriation of cultural heritage, and geographical place names. These discussions helped inform Parks Canada's efforts in working with the Geographical Names Board of Canada (GNBC) and Provincial and Territorial representatives to amend place names, at Parks Canada-administered areas, that are considered derogatory.
Call to Action 79(iii)
In response to Call to Action 79(iii), on September 1, 2020, the Government of Canada recognized the national significance of the residential school system as a tragic and defining event in Canadian history.
The former Portage la Prairie Indian Residential School (Manitoba) and the former Shubenacadie Indian Residential School (Nova Scotia) were designated as national historic sites in September 2020. In July 2021, the former Shingwauk Indian Residential School (Ontario) and the former Muskowekwan Indian Residential School (Saskatchewan) were also designated as national historic sites. Commemorative videos are being produced for each of these sites, in partnership with the communities in which these former residential schools are located.
Since 2020, Parks Canada has provided multi-year funding to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation for the purpose of engaging with residential school communities to:
- determine commemorative approaches to former residential school sites
- support community-level commemorations and healing gatherings in association with the national historic event designation of the residential school system
This funding is being extended through to 2025.
Budget 2022 allowed Parks Canada collaborates with Indigenous partners seeking to commemorate the history and legacy of residential schools, including via the Stories of Canada initiative, through which Parks Canada collaborates with Indigenous partners to transform the narrative at Parks Canada heritage places.
These projects showcase the importance of these heritage places from Indigenous perspectives and invest in opportunities for Indigenous communities to share and communicate their histories own voices and ways.
Recent progress
Call to Action 79(ii)
- In 2021 and early 2022, Parks Canada engaged 40 Indigenous and modern treaty organizations who have a vested interest in cultural heritage.
- In December 2022, Parks Canada shared a "What We Heard" report which summarizes input received during the 2021 to 2022 engagement with Indigenous partners.
- In January 2023, after undertaking a multidisciplinary analysis of recommendations received during the 2021 to 2022 engagement, and through further engagement with members of Parks Canada's Indigenous Cultural Heritage Advisory Council, Parks Canada completed a first draft of a renewed Cultural Resource Management Policy.
- In February 2023, Parks Canada started reaching out to the previously engaged Indigenous partners and a few others in order to seek their input and feedback on the first draft of the renewed Cultural Resource Management Policy. Engagement will be ongoing over the 2023 spring season.
- In February 2023 Parks Canada reconnected with Indigenous partners to seek their input and feedback on the first draft of the renewed CRM Policy. Engagement will be ongoing through mid 2023.
- Also in February 2023, members of Parks Canada's Indigenous Cultural Heritage Advisory Council met to discuss topics such as geographical place names and repatriation of cultural heritage artefacts.
Call to Action 79(iii)
- Since 2018, the Stories of Canada initiative has collaborated with more than 60 Indigenous communities on nearly 50 multi component projects at more than 45 heritage places, including national historic sites, national parks, national urban parks, and national marine conservation areas. In 2022, 12 projects were completed at 8 sites.
- In early 2023, Parks Canada hosted 2 workshops to bring together residential school survivors, Indigenous organizations and academics to build relationships and begin efforts to collaboratively identify additional subjects related to residential schools that merit national historic designation.
- Through a partnership with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, in late 2022, over $500,000 was distributed to Indigenous communities to support the development of commemorative markers and healing gatherings to commemorate the legacy of residential schools. This financial partnership is being extended through to March 2025.
Next steps
Parks Canada will support the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for the Parks Canada as Bill C-23, Historic Places of Canada Act, goes through the Parliamentary process.
Parks Canada continues to engage with Indigenous partners, seeking their input and feedback on the first draft of the renewed Parks Canada's Cultural Resource Management Policy.
New nominations about the Indigenous histories and legacies of residential schools in Canada continue to be received by the Secretariat of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Eligible nominations will be considered for potential national historic designations, with an average processing time of 2 years. Parks Canada continues to engage directly with Indigenous organizations and communities through meetings and workshops to discuss approaches to respectful commemoration, and to identify new nominations related to commemorating the legacy of residential schools. Workshops are being planned for the fall of 2023 in northern Canada.
Some designations and their commemorative plaques include colonial, dated or insensitive content that does not accurately reflect what is known about the country's history today. A number of existing designations related to residential schools and Indigenous history are currently being reviewed. To find out more, please visit: Reviews of existing designations.
In addition, the criteria and guidelines for evaluating subjects of potential national historic significance, which sets out processes and practices of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, underwent both internal and external reviews with the help of Indigenous consultants. Further progress was made in 2022 to align the proposed reviews with the engagement undertaken for the historic places legislation and the renewal of Parks Canada's Cultural Resource Management Policy. Draft revisions have been reviewed by the Indigenous Heritage Circle. The implementation of the changes is on hold pending the status of Bill C-23 (An Act respecting places, persons and events of national historic significance or national interest, archaeological resources, and cultural and natural heritage).
80. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.
What's happening?
Bill C-5, the legislation to establish the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, received Royal Assent on June 3, 2021. The first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, as an official federal statutory holiday, was marked on September 30, 2021.
81. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Survivors and their organizations, and other parties to the Settlement Agreement, to commission and install a publicly accessible, highly visible, Residential Schools National Monument in the city of Ottawa to honour Survivors and all the children who were lost to their families and communities.
What's happening?
Background
Canadian Heritage is the federal government lead for this Call to Action given its responsibility as lead department for national monuments in Canada's Capital Region. The project is currently at the early progress stage.
Recent budget investments
In August 2021, the government announced $20 million in new funding to build a national monument in Ottawa to honour survivors and all the children who were taken from their families and communities.
Recent progress
On June 20, 2023, the Survivor-led Steering Committee announced that the Residential Schools National Monument will be installed on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa. The site selected is on the ancestral lands of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation and was blessed by Elders during a special ceremony held on the evening prior to the announcement. The site is on the west side of Parliament Hill and is highly visible in the heart of downtown Ottawa.
Next steps
Next steps include beginning the process to select the Monument design. This will require the following steps:
- determining the appropriate procurement approach and mechanism
- establishing an Indigenous-led selection panel
- establishing a design brief that reflects the Monument vision, objectives and site conditions
- preparing the supporting technical documents for the selection process
82. We call upon provincial and territorial governments, in collaboration with Survivors and their organizations, and other parties to the Settlement Agreement, to commission and install a publicly accessible, highly visible, Residential Schools Monument in each capital city to honour Survivors and all the children who were lost to their families and communities.
What's happening?
The provincial and territorial governments are responsible for the response to Call to Action 82.
83. We call upon the Canada Council for the Arts to establish, as a funding priority, a strategy for Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to undertake collaborative projects and produce works that contribute to the reconciliation process
What's happening?
The Canada Council for the Arts launched the {Re}conciliation Initiative in 2015, in association with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and the Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. The initiative invited First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists, collectives and arts organizations to submit applications for projects that share how the arts can contribute to the ongoing process of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.
The program ran for 2 years until the end of fiscal year 2016 to 2017 and delivered $1.8 million in support towards 26 projects.
In 2016, the Canada Council for the Arts launched its 2016 to 2021 Strategic Plan with a commitment to support the relationship between Indigenous artists and people living in Canada. The plan articulates its approach to Indigenous self-determination and decolonization.
In April 2017, the Canada Council launched the program Creating, Knowing and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, for which projects previously funded through the {Re}conciliation Initiative are eligible. This ongoing grant program supports Indigenous individuals, groups, Indigenous-led arts organizations and arts and cultural sector development organizations that foster a vital and resilient Indigenous arts ecosystem.
Designed and administered by Indigenous staff, the program acknowledges the cultural sovereignty of Indigenous peoples and respects the concepts of First Nations, Inuit and Métis self-determination.
In 2021, the Canada Council for the Arts provided funding to 451 Indigenous artists, arts groups and organizations, totaling $31.3 million. Of this funding, from January 1 to December 31, 2021, 298 Indigenous artists, arts groups and organizations received funding directly through Creating, Knowing and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, totaling $20.9 million.
In fall 2016, the Canada Council committed to tripling its investment to support the knowledge, creation and sharing of First Nations, Inuit and Métis arts and cultures to $18.9 million by fiscal year 2020 to 2021.
The Canada Council supports work to renew the relationship between Indigenous artists and both Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences. This work is furthering truth and reconciliation, decolonization, and helps foster a shared future free of discrimination.
In 2020 to 2021, the Canada Council provided $28 million in funding to over 540 Indigenous artists, groups and arts organizations from coast to coast to coast. The Canada Council surpassed its goal to triple support for Indigenous creation by fiscal year 2020 to 2021.