81. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Survivors and their organizations, and other parties to the Settlement Agreement, to commission and install a publicly accessible, highly visible, Residential Schools National Monument in the city of Ottawa to honour Survivors and all the children who were lost to their families and communities.
In a few words: Erect a monument in the Nation’s capital to remember the residential schools system
What does this mean in simple English?
This is a recommendation that is very easy to understand: build a monument to recognize the travesty which was the residential schools system—and don’t just put in the corner of a room where no one will see it. It should be front and centre where it can receive lots of attention.
From a policy perspective, even though it is a very simple recommendation to understand, this is a very difficult recommendation to implement. Not only would it likely cost lots of money, it would require a great deal of collaboration between different groups concerning issues such as funding, artistic design, location, construction etc. Practically speaking, most of the initiative for this recommendation would have to come from the City of Ottawa (in terms of planning, location etc.), in negotiation with the federal government (funding) and Aboriginal groups (artistic design).
Further Reading:
Mayor Open to Ottawa Monument for Residential School Survivors, Ottawa Citizen
Compiled by Jonathan Wearing