Columnist reflects on the generational impact of Canada’s residential schools and coming to terms with the after effects
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) has been making its way across the country, collecting more than 3,000 personal statements from Aboriginal residential school survivors. Chief Wilton Littlechild, one of the commissioners, has stated: “Residential schools operated in Canada for well over a century. In the same way, the reconciliation process will have to span generations. It will take time to re-establish respect. It will take time and commitment to reverse this legacy.”
Colleen Simard is a contributing writer for the Winnipeg Free Press and is of Ojibway, French, Cree and Swedish ancestry. Colleen recently shared her reflections about the intergenerational effects of residential schools in a column called “Reconciliation is a personal journey.”
We speak with Colleen Simard.
