In 2015, I brought forward a motion that the City move forward on the actions recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Since then, for example, City employees have undergone and continue to undergo training on the “History of Colonization and Residential School.” As Yellowknife is home to many residential school survivors, and was also the location of one of the residential schools (which closed in 1994), City staff’s knowledge of the history is an important step in reconciliation.
If elected as Mayor, I would like to continue to address the TRC’s actions and in particular, work with the GNWT to implement recommendation #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.
I also look forward to supporting the development of an “Action Plan on Reconciliation,” and embedding reconciliation into our core practices and decision-making – from programs, to services and strategies.