What is TRC? | Curriculum Integration | Seneca Polytechnic

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) published its Calls to Action, after five years of research, hosting community events, and documenting the first-hand truth of Indigenous survivors, families and communities personally affected by the residential school system.

For over a century, the Canadian federal government sought to assimilate Indigenous people, systematically eliminating their rights and freedoms. Under the guise of education, this system forced Indigenous children to be taken from their families and communities, and subjecting them to trauma including but not limited to malnutrition, abuse, unsafe living conditions, and extremely high rates of disease. Approximately 3200 children died while in the residential school system, though estimates puts the number as high as 10x.

As a result of these cultural genocide efforts, and continued systemic oppression, generations of Indigenous Canadians sustained the consequences of intergenerational trauma, in their lives, families, and communities.

The TRC 94 Calls to Action are actionable policy recommendations to right the horrifying wrongs perpetuated in residential schools against Indigenous students, families, and communities. The Calls to Action focus on how to teach all Canadians on the truth of residential school system and how prevent these abuses from happening again.

Seneca Polytechnic is focused on answering the TRC’s Calls to Action #62 ii and #63 ii-iii. Through a strength-based approach, we are supporting meaningful integration of Indigenous perspectives and knowledge in all courses and programs, to discover what has been lost and denied.

References

Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Call to Action 62

What Are the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action & How Are We Working Toward Achieving Them Today?

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

Back to top