Honouring the Truth Reconciling for the Future

308 • Truth & Reconciliation CommissionCalls to Action67) We call upon the federal government to provide funding to the CanadianMuseums Association to undertake, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, anational review of museum policies and best practices to determine the levelof compliance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of IndigenousPeoples and to make recommendations.68) We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples,and the Canadian Museums Association to mark the 150th anniversary ofCanadian Confederation in 2017 by establishing a dedicated national fundingprogram for commemoration projects on the theme of reconciliation.Canada’s national archives: Sharing Aboriginalhistory versus keeper of state recordsAs Canada’s national archives, Library and Archives Canada (lac) has a dual functionwith regard to its holdings on Aboriginal peoples. It is both a public history institutiontasked with making documents relevant to Aboriginal history accessible to thepublic, and it is the custodian of federal government departmental historical records.In 2005, lac issued a “Collection Development Framework,” which set out the principlesand practices that would guide the institution’s acquisitions and preservation ofits holdings. The framework made specific commitments regarding materials relatedto Aboriginal peoples.lac recognizes the contributions of Aboriginal peoples to the documentaryheritage of Canada, and realizes that, in building its collection of materials, itmust take into account the diversity of Aboriginal cultures, the relationship theGovernment of Canada has with Aboriginal peoples, and the unique needs andrealities of Aboriginal communities. The development of a national strategy willbe done in consultation and collaboration with Aboriginal communities andorganizations, and will respect the ways in which indigenous knowledge andheritage is preserved or ought to be preserved and protected within or outside ofAboriginal communities. 148Library and Archives Canada has developed various guides and resources relatedto researching Aboriginal heritage. 149 But a fundamental tension exists between lac’spublic education mandate to work collaboratively with Aboriginal peoples to documenttheir cultural and social history versus its legal obligation to serve the state. Thistension is most evident where archived documents are relevant to various historicalinjustices involving Aboriginal peoples. Historical records housed in lac have been