A lawyer with Truth and Reconciliation Commission says detailed accounts of what went on at many residential schools may be contained in new records the government has been ordered to hand over.
The TRC won a key legal battle yesterday after an Ontario court ordered the government to give the commission access to records housed in the Library and Archives Canada.
Julian Falconer, a lawyer with the commission, says it’s unclear exactly how many records may be involved but he stresses the information within them is extremely important as they contain a detailed chronicle of what happened to many residential school students.
“What’s in these records is the validation of so many concerns of First Nations, Inuit and Métis. What’s in these records is chronicling.”
The ruling also finds the commission’s mandate to examine the legacy of residential schools is not subject to an arbitrary cut-off date.
Falconer says he hopes the government doesn’t decide to appeal yesterday’s decision.
The TRC’s 5-year mandate expires next summer.