Truth & Reconciliation

“Too many Canadians still do not know the history of Aboriginal peoples’ contributions to Canada, or understand that by virtue of the historical and modern Treaties negotiated by our government, we are all Treaty people. History plays an important role in reconciliation; to build for the future, Canadians must look to, and learn from, the past.” (TRC Summary Report p. 8)

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Summary Report recommends several actions that relate to the work of public history institutions, including “education for reconciliation” (TRC Summary Report p. 246). The SHFS recognizes that it has a role to play in the way that history is taught, maintained and perpetuated throughout Saskatchewan. The SHFS’s work also falls under Calls to Action 47 and 79 (ii).

For Call 47, the SHFS responds to the call to "…repudiate concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous peoples and lands, such as the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius…" For the SHFS, this means that people use narratives to rationalize injustice. We reject such narratives and change policies and actions that rely on them. We highlight stories, often from lived experiences, that counter such narratives. We mean 'stories' broadly in the narrative sense: an oral story, a photo, or a history article all contain a story.

For Call 79 (ii), we respond to the call for "…Revising the policies, criteria, and practices…to integrate Indigenous history, heritage values, and memory practices into Canada's national heritage and history." This means that we come together with communities to see how we could change our actions and policies to reflect Indigenous history and memory practices. We also engage in this conversation with the broader heritage sector.

The SHFS’s work falls under Calls to Action 47 and 79 (ii). Our Mission statement contains these two Calls. It reads (in part), "…We respond to Calls 47 and 79(ii) of the TRC by rejecting harmful narratives and adopting a reconciliation framework for Saskatchewan's heritage and commemoration."

“In the Commission’s view, there is an urgent need in Canada to develop historically literate citizens who understand why and how the past is relevant to their own lives and the future of the country. Museums have an ethical responsibility to foster national reconciliation, and not simply tell one party’s version of the past. This can be accomplished by representing the history of residential schools and of Aboriginal peoples in ways that invite multiple, sometimes conflicting, perspectives, yet ultimately facilitate empathy, mutual respect, and a desire for reconciliation that is rooted in justice.” (TRC Summary Report p. 251)

As an organization concerned with history, the SHFS supports community conversations that look at the past from diverse perspectives and explore what that past means for reconciliation in the present. One of the ways the SHFS is currently working in this area is a commitment to long-term practices of relationship building with Indigenous organizations and communities to establish collaborative partnerships in support of these conversations. Our Indigenous & Northern Photos Project is an example of work in this area.

To learn about other ways in which the SHFS is responding to the Calls of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, please contact us for more information.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established in 2008 to document and inform Canadians about what happened in Indian Residential Schools, and to offer recommendations to support healing and reconciliation.

“The TRC hopes to guide and inspire Aboriginal peoples and Canadians in a process of reconciliation and renewed relationships that are based on mutual understanding and respect.” (TRC 2016)

The TRC released a Summary Report with 94 Calls to Action in 2015.