City of Whitehorse to act on TRC recommendations

The City of Whitehorse will do what it can to act on recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report, the mayor says.

First Nations leaders and elders were invited to City Hall on Monday evening for a special meeting. Mayor Dan Curtis said it was to "acknowledge and recognize" the TRC report.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry that it's taken this long," Curtis said, referring to the generations of aboriginal people who have suffered the effects of residential schools. He called the TRC final report "an amazing document."

The report was released in June, after years of hearings and testimony from thousands of former residential school students.

The report included dozens of recommendations intended to repair the relationship between aboriginal people and the rest of Canada. They include the creation of a National Centre and Council for Truth and Reconciliation and the drafting of new and revised legislation for education, child welfare and aboriginal languages.

The report also asks for funding for memorials, community events and museums, a recommendation Curtis echoed as he called on provinces and territories to commit to a memorial.

The mayor also reiterated a call for a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women.

Elder Barbara Fred says the City's focus on the TRC report on Monday was an important step forward.

"It felt great," Fred said. "It was like a relief that's finally been acknowledged."

Another elder, Judy Gingell, said it was a "very emotional" evening.

"It's concrete," Gingell said. "It's really something to see and especially with the City of Whitehorse, it's a start."

Gingell says First Nation governments also have a responsibility to look at the TRC report and do what they can.