By Elsbeth Mehrer, Director, External Relations

Harrowing. Emotional. Wrenching. Healing. Such was the testimony I had the honour to observe when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission held a national event in Vancouver in late September.

Travelling across the country, the Commission has three responsibilities:

  • To tell Canadians what happened in Indian Residential Schools
  • To honour the lives of former students and their families
  • To create a permanent record of the Indian Residential School legacy


Over four days, hundreds of Aboriginal survivors recounted their haunting stories of abuse and trauma inside the residential schools and their systematic destruction of cultures and families.

As an observer to these accounts on Sept. 21st, it was heartbreaking to think of the women the YWCA of Calgary supports each day, whose vulnerabilities and pain can be linked to the direct and generational effects of these schools.

Recognizing the over-representation of Aboriginal women in YWCA programs from coast-to-coast-to-coast, the following Commitment to Reconciliation was made to the commission on Friday, Sept. 20th by YWCA Canada:

“YWCA Canada is the country’s oldest and largest women’s multi-service organization. The first local YWCA was founded in 1870. We are as old as the country and inextricably woven through the breadth of Canada’s history.

We are part of the hard truths of the past and of the present, as well as leaders in the movement for women’s equality.

Our vision today is one of women and girls empowered in a safe and equitable society. Issues lived by First Nation, Métis and Inuit women – including violence, poverty, inadequate housing and homelessness – are central to the work of YWCA Canada and crucial to achieving safety and equity for all women and girls. In our work, we witness the barriers First Nation, Métis and Inuit women continue to face in Canadian society. Many of us see the ramifications of historic and ongoing injustices in our programs on a daily basis.

As an association committed to improving the lives of women and girls, we cannot be silent in the face of these.

We hear a call for non-Aboriginal people to become informed and to take action to redress and reconcile. This chord is resonating nationally and internationally because there are deep veins of injustice in this country, veins that we recognize as Canadians.

We all have a role to play in creating and sustaining healthy relationships. As the nation’s single largest provider of shelter and services to women and children escaping violence, YWCA Canada knows that mutual respect is the foundation of healthy relationships.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has said that the work of reconciliation requires the participation of non-Aboriginal Canadians. YWCA Canada commits to taking up a role in the work of redress and reconciliation.

Our vision of a safe and equitable society for women and girls requires a renewed Canada, built on respect. A renewed Canada that is dedicated to ending violence against First Nation, Métis and Inuit women, beginning with a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.”

Locally, the YWCA of Calgary is pleased to stand by these commitments both through the services we provide which can support women to heal and build skills and through our continued advocacy for justice.

Today, we look forward to joining our partners from the Awo Taan Healing Lodge at 1:30 p.m. when they gather to remember 600 missing and murdered indigenous women with the Sisters in Spirit Vigil. All are welcome to join the event at 3rd Street SW and Stephen Avenue and participate in the march to Olympic Plaza.

To learn more about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, visit their website.