A healing and reconciliation event was held at the Squamish First Nation, North Vancouver, B.C., in October to help educate non-aboriginal people. The Presbyterian Church provided a grant, and Rev. Stephen Kendall, principal clerk, attended, while Rev. Ian Morrison, retired general secretary of the Life and Mission Agency, spoke as one of five Canadian church representatives.
“It provided an opportunity – that I would hope is repeated in one form or another in many communities – for the non-aboriginal community to hear directly from leaders, elders and survivors in the aboriginal community about the impact of residential schools in the context of how we can move forward together toward reconciliation,” Kendall told the Record.
Several aboriginal representatives pointed to relationships that have been developing between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people that were both challenging and held hope for the future. – AM
