Canada

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Truth inquiry seeks help from courts

Frustrated over inability to access federal papers

By: Colin Perkel

Posted: 12/3/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

TORONTO -- Years of mounting frustration over access to government records has prompted the commission of inquiry into Canada's residential school system to turn to the courts for help, The Canadian Press has learned.

In court filings, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission accuses Ottawa of stymying requests for documents the inquiry says are vital to its core mandate: "delivery on truth, reconciliation and ultimately healing."

Related Items

Articles
- Commission taking feds to court over residential schools documents

Documents filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice show the commission worries Ottawa's alleged intransigence will make it impossible to complete its work as required by July 1, 2014, and within budget.

"If the parties, through incompetence, delays or deliberate stonewalling (or a combination thereof) sabotage the work of the commission, then Canadians are certain to forget (and never fully learn) what has happened," the commission's factum states.

The application asks the court to clarify the government's obligations under a settlement with victims of the Indian residential school system that set up the commission led by Justice Murray Sinclair.

"The commission is taking this step very reluctantly and with a sense that it has been left with no alternative," Sinclair said in a statement.

Under the agreement, the Government of Canada and churches are obliged to provide all "relevant documents in their possession or control" to the commission.

Court filings show years of government squabbling over the word "relevant."

Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday.

However, the government maintains it has done its best to co-operate, providing one million documents already.

The commission says there are still many others and estimates it would cost far more than its entire $60-million budget if it is forced to find and digitally organize materials in federal archives by itself.

"What is at stake here is control over history," lawyer Julian Falconer, who represents the commission, said over the weekend. The Superior Court has set aside two days later this month for Stephen Goudge, a justice with the Ontario Court of Appeal, to hear the case.

The residential school system, which ran from the 1870s until the 1990s, saw about 150,000 aboriginal children taken from their families and sent to church-run schools under a deliberate policy of "civilizing" First Nations people.

Many students were physically, mentally and sexually abused. Some committed suicide. Mortality rates reached 50 per cent at some schools.

In the 1990s, thousands of victims sued the churches that ran the schools and the Canadian government. The $1.9-billion settlement also led to the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to research what had occurred and to make recommendations.

Part of the commission's mandate is to help in a process of reconciliation, while yet another is the "creation of a legacy" that includes collection of records, taking statements from those involved, and classifying and preserving the materials.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 3, 2012 A9

Factual inaccuracy? Something missing? Help improve our journalism.

Know about news? Share your story suggestions, photos and video.

Spelling error? Punctuation problem? Send us an email if you’ve found a typo.

More Canada

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.