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	Come North, Commission Told By Yumimi Pang Northern News Service May 12, 2008 http://nnsl.com/northern-news-services/stories/papers/may12_08tc1.html Nunavut/NWT - A former NWT premier and aboriginal rights advocate is urging the developing Truth and Reconciliation Commission to meet with Northerners face to face. Nellie Cournoyea, CEO of the Inuvialuit regional corporation, said she would like to see the commission travel to Inuvik. "I would encourage them to come to the northern part of the region so that people can have easy access to it. Inuvik should be a community that would be chosen. We've been involved right from the beginning and we have put a lot of time, effort, and people power behind it. It was a difficult task to get the determination of which schools would be considered (residential schools)," said Cournoyea. She said the chance to speak out and be heard would help survivors with the healing process. "People would like to be able to talk to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We think it's their responsibility to make themselves available to different regions in Canada," said Cournoyea. On April 28, the commission took a step closer to begin hearing the experiences of residential school survivors when Justice Harry LaForme, a Mississauga Indian from southern Ontario, was appointed as chair of the commission. A selection panel of 11 members including Mary Simon, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, has yet to choose the two commissioners who will sit alongside LaForme. Once the commissioners have been selected the commission will be set to interview residential school survivors. The commission is part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, and is scheduled to begin June 1. It has been tasked with collecting statements from residential school survivors to serve as a historical record and to foster understanding of the residential school legacy in aboriginal communities. Harry Alookie, of Qikiqtarjuaq, is a former student of the residential school system, having gone to high school in Iqaluit from 1980 to 1982. "Leaving your family behind is one of the toughest things you have to do. I really wanted to help my folks but couldn't," said Alookie. For many, the residential school system had numerous negative impacts including abuse and loss of culture. For Alookie, the toughest part for him was being separated from his family. Although Alookie's older and younger brothers stayed at home with his parents, he still worried about his parents who had no means of transportation and he also worried about whether they had enough food. "I'm very happy to hear that there's a commission being set up. For sure it's really a need, on behalf of the former students in all the education institutions that they have attended," he said. Alookie said he was sure that the commission will be beneficial especially to help healing and for people to move on. He added that he believes it's important for the three territories to be involved in the commission, and noted that includes Inuit participation. There are currently 18 employees under the direction of the interim commission, with the majority being aboriginal including one Inuk employee, according to Kimberly Phillips, spokesperson with the Office of the Interim Executive Director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Mary Simon, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and herself an Inuk from Nunavik, issued a statement to News/North with regard to importance of the commission to Inuit. "It's important for Inuit, First Nations, and Metis - and for all Canadians - to be able to go through this process of reconciliation. There were many Inuit who went through this dark period in Canadian history. It will be important that the commission consults with Inuit communities across the Arctic and develops its processes in a way that is respectful of the Inuit culture," she wrote. The commission will have a five-year mandate, and will host seven national events in different regions across the country during the first two years of its mandate. "In planning for these national events, the commission will include in its consideration the history and demographics of the Indian Residential School system," said Phillips, adding that the details such as when the commission might visit the North, including Nunavut, will be confirmed when the commissioners are appointed.
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