Honouring the Truth Reconciling for the Future

The legacy • 229Call to Action41) We call upon the federal government, in consultation with Aboriginal organizations,to appoint a public inquiry into the causes of, and remedies for, the disproportionatevictimization of Aboriginal women and girls. The inquiry’s mandatewould include:i. Investigation into missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls.ii. Links to the intergenerational legacy of residential schools.Strategies for changeMulti-pronged strategies are necessary to respond to the harmful legacy of residentialschools, as demonstrated in part by the overrepresentation of Aboriginal peopleamong prisoners and crime victims. Compiling better data on Aboriginal overrepresentationin the justice system is a starting point. Collection of this data must becoupled with developing measurable goals for reducing this overrepresentation andproviding the resources necessary to reach those goals. The approach must be anholistic and culturally appropriate one that addresses the need for improvements inhealth, education, and economic development in Aboriginal communities.Any strategy aimed at reducing Aboriginal offending and victimization mustalso include recognition of the rights of Aboriginal communities to develop theirown justice systems as part of a larger commitment to Aboriginal self-determinationand self-government. These rights are grounded in international and constitutionallaw as well as in the Treaties. Aboriginal forms of justice may be as diverse asCanada’s Aboriginal peoples themselves. It is a central conclusion of the Truth andReconciliation Commission of Canada that recognition of the Aboriginal right toself-determination, more appropriate funding allocations for services from governments,and methodical tracking of progress are the preconditions for redressing thedisastrous legacy of residential schools and aiding the long process of reconciliationwithin Canada.Call to Action42) We call upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to commit to therecognition and implementation of Aboriginal justice systems in a manner consistentwith the Treaty and Aboriginal rights of Aboriginal peoples, the ConstitutionAct, 1982, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of IndigenousPeoples, endorsed by Canada in November 2012.