Ontario Court of Appeal judge Harry LaForme was yesterday named as the head of the upcoming Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools. Based on the South African post-apartheid commission that was famously headed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the late ’90s, the Canadian version will similarly be about hearing people’s stories and writing an honest history of events instead of prosecuting wrongdoers.
LaForme is Canada’s most senior aboriginal judge, and he’ll spend the next five years leading the commission. There’s a lot of work to be done; roughly 90,000 First Nations claimants have come forward for their portion of the monetary settlement established by the federal government, and there are likely many more. Getting this commission right is important, and LaForme appears to be a sound choice; Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl praised his “wealth of respect and leadership experience” and Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, endorsed his appointment yesterday, saying “We couldn’t think of anyone better for this than Justice LaForme.” There are two more commissioners to be appointed, and LaForme will have a hand in selecting them.