Symbols aplenty, but TRC progress has been slow

THESE DECLARATIONS CAN ALSO THREATEN THE RULE OF LAW. — BRIAN BIRD

Public discussion about the “calls to action” from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) have moved from distraction to distraction. In the spring it was about whether Pope Francis should visit to repeat, in Canada, the apology made by Pope Benedict in the Vatican in 2009. This fall it is about whether there should be a statutory holiday to mark a “National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.”

Both are called for by the TRC. The federal government has committed itself to work to implement all 94 “calls to action.”

Now the pressing issue is when the statutory holiday should be, and whether it will be specifically about residential schools, or to honour Indigenous peoples, or to promote reconciliation. Then there is the issue of whether paid time off achieves those goals.

(I oppose Remembrance Day being a day off from work and school precisely because it seems more likely that our fallen will be honoured communally if we interrupt the day to do so, rather than take it as holiday.)

But however worthy another papal apology or a statutory holiday might be, they are distractions from the more urgent recommendations from the TRC. And one suspects that the attention given to them reflects a preference from the government for symbols over substance. Symbols are important too, but when more substantive matters are neglected, the symbols ring hollow.

The CBC has put together a most useful website: “Beyond 94.” It tracks progress made on the 94 “calls to action.”

Where do the resources come for such a comprehensive and research-intensive project from the CBC, tracking all the recommendations across the country? Have a look at “call to action” #84, which calls for the government to “restore and increase funding to the CBC/Radio-Canada to enable it to support reconciliation.”

In 2016, the federal government increased the CBC’s annual grant by $75 million, and to $150 million in 2017 and beyond. Good for the CBC, but not obviously the most urgent place to start.

No. 84 is only one of 10 “calls to action” judged “completed” by the CBC report card. Does it feel a bit guilty at being among the first out of the gate for the TRC process? The report card might be its way of encouraging more important matters to be addressed.

For example, the very first call to action addresses the very high number of Aboriginal children in care — child services and foster care primarily.

In addition to the suffering of being separated from their families for various reasons, there is an added dimension that such children are often removed from Aboriginal homes and culture.

Given the TRC’s origin in the residential schools issue, it is not surprising that its first “call to action” would deal with children separated from their own families because of issues of apparent neglect or safety. Given that the government is moving ahead on the apologies (#58) and holidays (#80), #1 must be mostly looked after, right?

Back in the spring, the CBC judged #1 as “not started.” This fall, it is “in progress — projects proposed.”

“As of March 2018, the number of Aboriginal children in care has not been reduced, nor has there been a co-ordinated national assessment of neglect investigations,” the CBC reports. “But the 2018 federal budget did commit to an increase in funding, and in 2018, the federal government created a ‘six points of action’ plan to address the child welfare crisis.”

No actual reduction of children in care. But federal dollars and an “action” plan. When has that ever failed to improve the lot of Indigenous Canadians?

How about #2? That called for “annual reports on the number of Aboriginal children in care.” No need to improve matters for children, just report about how things are not improving. Report card: “Not started” — “Neither the federal government, provinces or territories have prepared and published annual reports of this nature.”

How about #4? That called for “national standards for Aboriginal child apprehension and custody cases.” Also “not started” — “the federal government has not enacted Indigenous child-welfare legislation that establishes national standards for Indigenous child apprehension and custody cases.”

Sensing a theme here on children in care?

How about if they grow up and get enmeshed in the criminal justice system? #34 tries to get at part of that by calling for “reforms to the criminal justice system to better address the needs of offenders with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.” Report card: “not started.”

Sixty-six of the “calls to action” are either not started (34) or just at the proposed action stage (32). Only 18 are “in progress” in the usual sense of the term, meaning that something has been done.

With that much work to do, a day off for federal workers seems counterintuitive. How about taking an existing statutory holiday, renaming it “Truth and Reconciliation” and making the government workers come in to office to get on with so much unfinished business?

WHEN MORE SUBSTANTIVE MATTERS ARE NEGLECTED, THE SYMBOLS RING HOLLOW.