Notice Board

This event has been cancelled. Chief Wilton Littlechild has been called to Ottawa to address new Members of Parliament and is unable to honour this engagement. SACPA will work to schedule a new event date.

Beyond the Truths and Reconciliation Commission Testimony: Where Do We Go From Here? 

Moderator: Martin Heavy Head
Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Time: 12 – 1:30 p.m.
Location: Students' Union Ballroom B, University of Lethbridge

Canada's Indian residential school system was attempted cultural genocide for what happened to the 150,000 or so aboriginal children and their families, while the schools operated from 1883-1996.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was officially launched in 2008 as part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA). Intended to be a process that would guide Canadians through the difficult discovery of the facts behind the residential school system, the TRC was also meant to lay the foundation for lasting reconciliation across Canada.

Appointed in 2009, Chief Wilton Littlechild has served on the TRC with Marie Wilson and Chair of the commission, Justice Murray Sinclair. Following the collection of close to 7,000 statements, a myriad of records and 94 recommendations, the commission concluded its work in June 2015 with the final report expected soon. The speaker will elaborate on the TRC findings and will also speculate on how implementation of the many recommendations can be done successfully.

Speaker: Chief Wilton Littlechild PhD

Wilton Littlechild, Ph.D., is a Cree chief, residential school survivor, and lawyer who has worked both nationally and internationally to advance Indigenous rights and treaties. He has also – through leadership with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission – raised awareness of former Canadian policies that decimated the livelihood and culture of Indigenous Canadians. Born in Alberta, Wilton Littlechild was raised largely at residential schools from 1951 to 1964, where he spent 14 years surviving through study and sport. After leaving residential school, he studied physical education at the University of Alberta and law at the University of New Mexico while earning his degrees.

Chief Littlechild was a member of the 1977 Indigenous delegation to the United Nations (UN), and worked on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In the 1980s, he worked on the lawsuit to prevent patriation of the Canadian Constitution until the Aboriginal and Treaty Rights were protected and in more recent years, has been a regional and International Chief on Treaties No. 6, 7, 8. Chief Littlechild has been a member of parliament, Vice-President of the Indigenous Parliament of the Americas and chairperson for the UN Expert Mechanism on Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Commission on First Nations and Métis Peoples and Justice Reform.

In addition to his work with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Chief Littlechild continues to run his own law firm in Erminiskin Reserve, Alberta, and maintains his commitment to sport - he has been inducted into seven Sports Halls of Fame. In 1999, Chief Littlechild was awarded the Order of Canada and was recently honoured with the Alberta Award of Excellence.

Free event, everyone welcome. Snacks and refreshments will be served.

This lecture is sponsored by Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group (LPIRG) Native American Students’ Association (NASA) and SACPA with support from the University of Lethbridge.