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	Residential Schools Apology Coming Soon As Ottawa Names Truth Commissioners Metro May 13, 2008 http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/Canada/article/52880 OTTAWA - Two women have been named to help lead hearings into abuse at native residential schools, as a truth commission starts June 1. Jane Brewin Morley, a lawyer, and Claudette Dumont-Smith, a native health expert, will work alongside Canada's most senior aboriginal judge. Harry LaForme was named head commissioner last month of the five-year, $60-million forum to hear from former students. It's part of a massive compensation package that's expected to reach $4 billion in settlements and healing programs. Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl says an official apology is coming soon, but not before the national native day of action on May 29. The federal government admitted 10 years ago that physical and sexual abuse in the once-mandatory schools was rampant. While some students say they received a good education, hundreds are expected to recall beatings and molestation at the hands of church staff and other pupils. The federally funded schools operated throughout Canada for much of the last century. Truth-and-reconciliation hearings will be held across the country. The commission will produce an official history of the institutions along with a report, recommendations and a lasting memorial. It is modelled in part on the truth-and-reconciliation process that helped South Africans heal the wounds of apartheid.
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