Reconciliation & the Way Forward

Reconciliation and the Way Forward is a collection of essays and personal reflections that looks at the issues of reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in Canada. As a follow-up volume to Speaking My Truth: Reflections on Reconciliation and Residential School, this text seeks to reframe debate by proposing a shift of focus onto civil society and those individuals who have made significant contributions to the formal and informal processes of truth and reconciliation. Reconciliation and the Way Forward asks, "What's next?"

The last decade has transformed our collective understandings of the Indian Residential School System and its lasting impacts on generations of peoples. Survivors have lead this process of rewriting history by sharing their experiences and their resilience. As the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, the Settlement Agreement, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission wraps up, it is vital to reflect on what has been accomplished, but it is also crucial to consider the way forward and work that still needs to be done.

Reconciliation and the Way Forward builds on the leadership of Survivors by providing insight into how individuals from across the fields of health care, education, justice, visual arts, and literature take up the healing path and their thoughts on creating a shared, transformative vision of Canada.