Victoria artist Carey Newman is in Ottawa Thursday to argue at the Supreme Court of Canada that thousands of documents about residential-school abuses should be preserved rather than destroyed.
“Our position is that we are representing survivors in favour of keeping their stories,” said Newman, who formed the Coalition to Preserve Truth, made up of First Nations, historians and advocates. “You see the inter-generational affects [of residential schools] in our communities every day.”
The 42-year-old Kwagiulth/Salish artist is most recently known for the Witness Blanket, a touring art installation created from residential-school artifacts from across the country. This week, Newman was notified that he is being awarded a meritorious service medal from the Governor General for the Witness Blanket.
Newman’s coalition, represented by DGW Law in Victoria, will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada appeals court today. They have five minutes to make the case that files from 38,000 complainants who sought compensation for how they were treated at residential schools through the Independent Assessment Process be preserved. They include personal testimonies, the application and appeal process, and other documents.
The hearing is the third and final one of the case, he said.
A previous court decision ruled the files would remain in trust with the IAP adjudicator for 15 years. During that time, survivors could apply to have their stories preserved and forwarded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. All other files would be destroyed for privacy reasons.
Newman said there’s no guarantee claimants will make the application to preserve their files and there’s no process in place. Also, some might have died in recent years.
Part of the problem, Newman said, is that claimants were never asked at the beginning of the process if they wanted their records preserved or destroyed.
For survivors who want to remain private, the group is suggesting that before the records are turned over to Library and Archives Canada, those names be redacted.
Newman said the preservation of the records is important to future as well as current generations. He speaks from personal experience.
“I still don’t know a lot of the details about my father’s experiences in residential school,” he said, noting it’s something his father has difficulty speaking about. “But going through the Witness Blanket made an enormous difference in my understanding of what it might have been like for him.”
Newman said preserving the files of residential-school survivors will help future generations with the same healing process. He added it’s also important to have a record of the IAP compensation to be able to assess the process in the future.
Newman started an online fundraising campaign to cover the legal and travel costs for the coalition, which has raised nearly $16,000. It’s at gofundme.com/standfortruth.
