Sask. residential school survivors call for action following TRC report

After six years of often difficult and emotional testimony, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has submitted its final report.

More than 6,000 men and women shared their stories about residential schools.

Saskatchewan's Ted Quewezance, who attended residential school, started the National Residential School Survivors' Society. He hopes the commission's work will lead to change.

"First Nations people, Inuit people and Mtis people, we have to be treated like Canadians," Quewezance said. "Equality, quality. We're not different. We're all Canadians."

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The final report made 94 recommendations. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to implement all of them.

"It's a matter of letting our survivors know now, today, on the streets in the communities, we're finally recognized. To me that's what counts," Quewezance said.

'Calls to action' not recommendations

Saskatchewan's Eugene Arcand and 10 others were a part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's survivor committee.

"We shared our tears. We shared our laughs. But we dug deep inside and we dug out the demons," Arcand said. "We couldn't have done it without each other, and our wives and our spouses and our families back home who now are here. The fact that we're not alone also says we can't do this alone and that's what reconciliation is about."

Arcand said the 94 points put forward in the report are not "recommendations" but "calls to action."

FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron's parents went to residential schools. He said today's report is for the next generation of First Nation's people.

"We had a very hard life. A lot of dysfunction. There were many times it was hard for my father to show the emotional love and kindness that is needed for children to see and experience," Cameron said.

"We are all here for one reason and that's to lay the foundation for a brighter future for our First Nations children."

'Cultural genocide': Saskatchewan children's advocate

Bob Pringle, Saskatchewan's children's advocate, called the numbers "staggering" in regards to the children who never came home.

"Clearly this 'Take the Indian out of the child' we now know to be really cultural genocide," Pringle said.

There were 22 residential schools in Saskatchewan for a period of 100 years. There are close to 30,000 residential school survivors in this province.

Pringle said his office will make sure it continues to keep issues of aboriginal children at the forefront.

"We can see in our office on a daily basis the devastating intergenerational impacts of the residential schools on families."