n. — Politics, Aboriginal, First Nations
an effort to improve the relationship between Aboriginal peoples, non-Aboriginal Canadians and official Canada, based on an understanding of Aboriginal history and issues of justice.
Type: 6. Memorial — The term reconciliation is associated with the stuggle of Aboriginal peoples to get redress for the abuse they were exposed to in residential schools. After decades of legal campaigns, in 1998 the Canadian federal government issued a Reconciliation Statement that acknowledged the abuse and established the Aboriginal Healing Foundation (see Canadian Encyclopedia reference). As awareness efforts continued, in 2007 the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) was established to offer compensation and psychological support to former students, now often called residential school survivors. The IRSSA established a five-year Truth and Reconciliation Commission that provided individuals, families and communities opportunities for sharing their experiences throughout the country (see Canadian Encyclopedia reference). These efforts are continued by Reconciliation Canada, founded in 2012, with the aim of engaging people throughout the country to understand Aboriginal history and build stronger communities, through events such as Reconciliation Week (see Reconciliation Canada reference).
Critics of the term reconciliation assert that it is too narrowly focused on the context of residential schools, without taking other negative consequences of colonialism into consideration (Flisfeder 2010: 12).