(Ottawa, ON) December 22, 2020 – Five years has passed since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) released their Final Report in 2015, which included close to 7,000 statements from Residential School Survivors and 94 Calls to Action that aimed to support Reconciliation efforts in Canada.

Progress has definitely been made and awareness is on the rise, but this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the work that needs to be done. Systemic racism is still present in many forms, and Survivors and Indigenous Peoples are still waiting on equity and justice.

Here are a few Calls to Action that are underway:
Call to Action # 13 – Acknowledge Indigenous Rights by including Indigenous Language Rights
Call to Action # 59 – Develop ongoing education strategies to teach impacts of colonization
Call to Action # 83 – Establish strategies for funding Indigenous Reconciliation projects

“I’m encouraged to see some of the work that has been done in effort to foster healing and Reconciliation, but there is still so much to do. Some, for various reasons have also been stalled and put on hold such as having clean water in communities, but we must remain steadfast in demanding Government action and commitment to continue to address these systemic inequalities. We must continue to work together to ensure that all Indigenous Peoples have access to the same basic human rights to clean water, education and economic development as other people living in Canada; it has to be the norm,” said the Executive Director & In-House Legal Counsel, Teresa Edwards.

The Legacy of Hope Foundation (LHF) is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation for 20 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing impacts of the Residential and Day School System, Sixties Scoop, and other acts of oppression on generations of Indigenous Survivors, their descendants, and their communities in order to promote healing and to address ongoing racism. The LHF works to encourage people to address discrimination and injustice in order to contribute to the equity, dignity, and respectful treatment of Indigenous Peoples and to foster Reconciliation in Canada.

The LHF has 20 exhibitions and is working on making its other exhibitions available on line. LHF also has curriculum from K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, and Workshops aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential and Day Schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the many injustices in order to support empathy, understanding, and the willingness to bring about positive change. To donate, or for more information about the LHF, please visit the website at www.legacyofhope.ca.