Media's blame game creating further problems for residential schools T&R commission
FACT: Harry LaForme resigned because he could not do the job the way HE wanted to ...
ACTION REQUIRED: Get another commissioner in place and get on with the job ...
No time for blame in wake of LaForme's resignation: Minister
Norma Greenaway - October 24, 2008
OTTAWA - Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl is calling for a cooling of the rhetoric over who is to blame for the resignation of the chairman of the federal commission into the legacy of abuse at residential schools as survivors, aboriginal, church and government representatives prepare for a meeting as early as next week to try to unlock the process.
"We need to move forward in a way that will best respond to the needs of the survivors of residential schools," Ted Yeomans, a spokesman for Strahl, said in a written statement. "Adding to the rhetoric serves no purpose and does not serve the interests of the survivors of residential schools."
The finger-pointing has intensified since Justice Harry LaForme abruptly quit the Truth and Reconciliation Commission last Monday, releasing a resignation letter that blamed the other two commissioners and their "political" representatives for effectively ignoring what he said was the "ultimate" authority of the chairman and competing for control of the course the commission's work takes. LaForme has subsequently let it be known through a spokesman that he quit over interference from the Assembly of First Nations, a charge Chief Phil Fontaine has rejected.
Yeoman said Strahl has instructed government officials to meet with all parties, including survivors, church and aboriginal leaders, as well as the two judges charged with overseeing implementation of the $1.9-billion, court-ordered residential school settlement. The meeting is expected to be held mid-week in Toronto or Ottawa.
"Given the serious allegations made by Justice LaForme, the minister and our government believe the supervising judges of the court-ordered settlement agreement should first be providing advice on what the next steps should be," Yeoman said. The two judges are Warren Winkler, the chief justice of Ontario, and Donald Brenner of the Supreme Court of B.C.
Aboriginal leaders and survivors have bemoaned the turn of events, saying there is no time to waste in getting the $60-million, five-year commission back on track. There is disagreement, however, on how to right the process. Some groups say the urgent priority should be to name a new chairman or chairwoman. Others say the commission, as constituted, has lost credibility and that all three commissioners need to be replaced.
Rev. James Scott, the United Church of Canada's officer for residential schools, said Friday in an interview he wants LaForme replaced as soon as possible. He also said allegations of AFN interference are unfounded, and there is no reason to replace the two remaining commissioners, Claudette Dumont-Smith and Jane Brewin Morley.
He also disagreed with LaForme's insistence that the chairman is the ultimate power in shaping the commission's path.
"It's my impression, and I believe the impression of the negotiating parties, that naming someone chair was primarily an administrative function, in other words, someone to whom the staff of the secretariat would be ultimately accountable," he said, "but that the three commissioners, themselves, it was hoped would work openly, transparently and co-operatively in the spirit of the healing and reconciliation which the commission is attempting to bring about for the country."
The United, Anglican and Presbyterian churches and 51 Roman Catholic bodies, all of which are party to the court-ordered settlement, have issued a statement affirming their confidence in the two remaining commissioners.
The commission, established June 1, is charged with preparing a comprehensive historical record of what occurred at the government-funded, church-run residential schools. It was not constituted to assign blame or gather evidence for criminal prosecution.