Residential school students left out of agreement

Students of Shubenacadie residential school and other school survivors stood together in Halifax at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s third national event held Oct. 26 to 29, but others in Atlantic Canada left out of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement made it clear that the abuse they suffered was no different and just as bad as those who attended “Shubie.”

Bart Jack, an Innu, who shared his story asked people to consider the former students of Labrador because the federal and provincial governments “do not recognize the fact that they’ve done anything wrong in Labrador. … So for me to start talking about reconciliation, feeling good, apologizing, and so on, that has not happened in our community. That has not happened yet,” he said.

Jack spent time at Mount Cashel in St. John’s, which was closed in 1990. It was operated by the Roman Catholics and stories of sexual and physical abuse were common.
Jack also made reference to the residential school in North West River, in central Labrador, which was founded in the 1920s by Yale University students who came to work with the International Grenfell Association. A dormitory in that school was set up for Innu from Labrador.

Like other Indian residential schools which operated in Atlantic Canada, students who attended the two mentioned by Jack do not qualify for compensation under the IRSSA because they were run by the church or provincial government and had no federal connection.

“When I look at (the TRC slogan), “For the child taken and the parent left behind”… I left (my parents) behind in 1969. When I came back they were different,” said Jack. “There are at least hundreds of Aboriginal people…who have not been acknowledged as victims of … residential schools and I say our work is not finished unless we get the government to recognize this.”

TRC Commissioner Wilton Littlechild commended Jack for his call to action.

“There (needs) to be fairness and action in Labrador because they are being excluded.”

Many stories were shared during the four-day national event. Some stories were told in English and some in Native tongue with the aid of translators, and all were heart-wrenching. For some it was the first time sharing their experiences.

“I didn’t think it was going to be this hard,” said Emmett Peters, who was accompanied by his wife and daughter. “This is the first time I ever talked about this…. It took me a long time to get over the shame.”

Peters spoke haltingly of the 10 years he spent in residential day school and the impact it had on the rest of his life. From his parents not believing him and his siblings when they tried to tell them what was happening in the school, to how he “hated being Indian because I was told I was no good. I never felt comfortable in my own skin.”

He spoke of his journey to recovery and self-discovery, finally forgiving himself for the things he had done, learning to love himself, and being the first person to bring the pipe into the prisons where he has worked for 26 years.

Peters, who was born on Lennox Island and is a hereditary chief, said although he had forgiven the priests and nuns, one of his “proudest achievements” is raising children who are not baptized. “They’re all brought up Indian.”

Other survivors talked about not understanding why their parents had given them up to residential schools and some survivors talked about hating their parents. But during the course of the sharing panel, some survivors spoke words of forgiveness.

Elaine Paul, who attended Shubenacadie, talked about the generational loss that was felt. Paul said her father was also a survivor of residential school and did not know how to interact with and love his children.
“It goes through generations and generations and generations of abuse,” said Paul. “I forgive you, Dad.”
Commissioner Marie Wilson said moving from hate to love was a powerful transformation.

“(We’ve heard) positive and uplifting stories of transformation and hope and the incredible appreciation that so many of the speakers gave to those of you in the room who are here in ensuring and assuring them that no one of us is alone and they are not alone and that you understand from your heart … what has been experienced,” she said.

The theme of the Halifax event was It’s About Love - A National Journey for Healing, Families and Reconciliation.
Said Littlechild, “Throughout all the pain (survivor Alexander Bruce Simon) still had the strength to say … ‘I love my people. I love my people.’ And that was such a good way to capture the theme… for this particular national event.”

The next TRC National Event is to be held in Saskatoon in June 2012.