TRC given one year extension to complete mandate: Valcourt

APTN National News
OTTAWA–The Harper government has given the Truth and Reconciliation Commission a one-year extension, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt said Thursday.

The TRC had been seeking the extension arguing it didn’t have time to go through over a million documents from federal government archives. The TRC was contemplating taking court action to force Ottawa into giving it the extension.

“This additional year would allow the (TRC) sufficient time to complete its mandate, including writing its final report and receiving those documents held at Library and Archives Canada,” said Valcourt in a statement. “Our government remains committed to achieving a fair and lasting resolution to the legacy of Indian residential schools which lies at the heart of reconciliation and the renewal of the relationship between Aboriginal people and all Canadians.”

The TRC’s extension will run until June 30, 2015.

The TRC was forced to take Ottawa to court to force the federal government to hand over historical documents associated with residential schools.

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