Jim Bear, Chief Brokenhead Ojibway Nation; Brian Bowman, Winnipeg Mayor; Derek Nepinak, Grand Chief Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs; Jamie Wilson, Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba; Greg Selinger, Premier of Manitoba: Dr. Annette Trimbee, President and Vice-Chancellor, UWinnipeg
An historic event attracted more than 700 people to UWinnipeg’s Riddell Hall and Eckhardt Gramatté Hall on June 2, 2015.
Five years after Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission began hearings, The University of Winnipeg hosted a gathering as the TRC Commissioners in Ottawa released their findings on Indian residential schools. The Time for Reconciliation event allowed people to share in this historic moment in the journey towards reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. UWinnipeg’s event was in collaboration with the Province of Manitoba, the City of Winnipeg, Winnipeg Public Libraries, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, and local faith groups. Read the TRC’s report here.
“The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was given an enormous task—to find the truth about the more than 120 year period when Indigenous children were sent to Indian residential schools, and to educate Canadians about this history and the ongoing impacts that are still felt across the country,” said Dr. Annette Trimbee, UWinnipeg’s President and Vice-Chancellor. “As an educational institution located on Treaty 1 land in the heart of the Metis Nation, we have a responsibility to support the TRC’s mandate, something we will continue to do long after its official close.”
Derek Nepinak, Grand Chief AMC speaks at UWinnipeg June 2, 2015
“The closing events of the TRC represent an important time for our nation to come together and reflect on what we want the relationship with Indigenous people to look like,” said Wab Kinew, UWinnipeg’s Associate Vice-President of Indigenous Affairs. “However, first and foremost it is a time for us to hear the stories of residential school survivors and honour the strength, courage and grace they have shown in demanding justice for themselves and of this country.”
