Joint Education Seminar of the Court of Appeal and Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta: Implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Report's Calls to Action 2019

Overview

This seminar focused on the history Aboriginal peoples in Alberta, including their experience with residential schools and the effect of intergenerational trauma, drawing on experts in the field, personal testimonies and Indigenous Elders.

Objectives

Responding to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, this program provided the judges of the Court of Appeal and Court of Queen’s Bench with essential social context on Aboriginal peoples in Alberta. This included an examination of the Indigenous history in Alberta before and after colonialization, the history and impact of residential schools, and the impact of personal and intergenerational trauma.

Summary

Drawing on experts from academia, legal practice and the community, as well as from the personal testimonies of Indigenous peoples and the experience of Indigenous elders, this provided the social context surrounding the experience of Indigenous peoples in Alberta. Sessions relied heavily on the professional and personal experience of faculty, but also allowed for interaction by participants through the “blanket exercise”.