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	A Long Road to Recovery By Andrew Hanon Edmonton Sun October 19, 2009 http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/columnists/andrew_hanon/2009/10/19/11447576-sun.html Terry Lusty pauses thoughtfully, then says, "I'm sure hopeful, but we've learned not to get too excited until we see the details." The head of the Residential School Survivors Society of Alberta wants to remain realistic about the rebooted Truth and Reconciliation, which held a ceremony last week at Rideau Hall with Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean. The commission, part of the massive settlement between the federal government and former students in the native residential school program, will travel the country documenting the litany of abuses suffered by aboriginal kids in the schools. It was supposed to be underway shortly after Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a formal government apology to native people in June, 2008, but instead collapsed in on itself from infighting and internal politics. Three new commissioners were appointed to make a fresh start, and yesterday's ceremony was the reborn commission's coming out. It will begin work in earnest in the spring, meeting with former students in Winnipeg. Commission spokesman Rod Carleton said yesterday that it will also come to Alberta, but exactly where and when has yet to be worked out. Carleton said the commission won't necessarily hold formal hearings, like an inquiry or royal commission. "There's no defined process right now," he said. "It will likely change from region to region, depending on each region's needs and nuances. We'll work with local survivor groups to determine what's needed." He said former students, known as "survivors," will be able to relate what's happened to them in any form they choose, whether in a public forum, private meeting, written statement, or even visual art. Lusty, who's still waiting to hear from the commission, said, "the people here really want to tell their stories." He said it's critical that a formal record of the abuses be compiled, not just for the victims but the entire country. Too many people are either unaware or refuse to believe how horrific and devastating this chapter of Canada's history was. "It's really important for education. It's part of our history and should be part of the education curriculum," he explained. "People need to learn what happened." For more than a century, native children across Canada were taken from their families and sent to church-operated, government-run boarding schools. The stated goal, according to the architects, was to "elevate the Indian from his condition of savagery." Often the children were taken from their homes by police, packed onto trains and shipped to schools hundreds of kilometres away, isolating them from the "corrupting" influence of family. Children were forced to convert to Christianity and told that their parents were Hell-bound heathens. They complained of being malnourished, inadequately clothed and if the school had a farm, forced to work long hours at the expense of classroom learning. They complained of harsh, brutal discipline, like severe beatings for the crime of speaking their language. They complained of physical, emotional and, in many cases, sexual abuse. It's left a legacy of misery that has scarred individuals, families and entire communities. Much of the addiction and dysfunction in aboriginal communities can be traced directly back to the residential school system. Alberta had 19 Indian residential schools, the most of any province. In all, about 150,000 children across Canada went through the system. As one survivor said Thursday at Rideau Hall, the commission's work is another step forward on a long road. "It's going to take a lot of generations to be healthy again." Contact: ANDREW.HANON@SUNMEDIA.CA
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