The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Building a Bridge over a Tragic Past towards a Future Together

WENDAKE, QC, Dec. 15, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The AFNQL greeted today's release of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada as a bridge and as steps for Canada to follow in order to move beyond a shameful past to a future in which Canadians will take pride. The report proposes a number of recommendations that represent as many reference points along the path to reconciliation being traced today for the Canadian society. The responsibility to sincerely engage on this path falls on everyone sharing the land known as Canada, according to the AFNQL.

"Today, my thoughts go to the survivors, to all those women and men of our Nations who, alone more often than not, have had to overcome their pain and face life as best they could. Grief has often been transmitted from one generation to the next. This historic day must mark the end of that cycle," declared Ghislain Picard, Chief of the AFNQL.

The AFNQL is currently involved in a process leading to an independent legal inquiry to be held on the difficult relations between the police forces and First Nations in Quebec.

"With the report submitted today by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the memory of those who suffered and the obligation to support the survivors must now inspire us to take concrete action needed to end discrimination and injustice that still strike First Nations all too frequently. Those who refuse to engage in the process with us will bear a heavy burden of responsibility," concluded Ghislain Picard.

About the AFNQL
The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador is the political organization of 43 Chiefs of the First Nations in Quebec and Labrador. www.apnql-afnql.com

SOURCE Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador

Mélanie Vincent: [email protected], Cell.: 418-580-4442