The Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch joins those across the country in mourning for the 215 lives tragically cut short, found buried at a former residential school in B.C. Our hearts go out to all those communities who are feeling this loss. We echo the words of the CBA national President Brad Regehr, calling on the federal government to fully implement the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action 71 – 76, which deal with the issue of missing children and unmarked burials.
The CBA Alberta is committed to advancing the Truth & Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action within the legal community and the communities in which we live and work. We are also committed to continuing to listen, to learn and to grow, both as an organization and as individuals as we engage in reconciliation and build authentic relationships with Indigenous communities.
We encourage everyone to continue learning and engaging in conversations about the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples of Canada as you participate in your own journeys of reconciliation. Last year, the CBA launched The Path: Your Journey Through Indigenous Canada, which is an excellent place to start. Other resources are available from the Law Society of Alberta, the University of Alberta, the Orange Shirt Day website and the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, just to name a few.
More information about the Canadian Bar Association’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, including a list of resources and advocacy activities, is available online at www.cba.org/Truth-and-Reconciliation.