Minister Carolyn Bennett addresses boarding school survivors

“It’s important for me that all Canadians know these stories. It’s very important that all Canadians share in this journey of reconciliation,” Bennet said.

Antionette Lafluer, from Beauval, is a survivor of the Île-à-la-Crosse boarding school. She was one of about 15 people Bennett addressed directly during the gathering.

“It was very exciting, it’s been a long time coming,” Lafluer said of Bennett’s visit to Île-à-la-Crosse. “Everybody in this whole place was very thankful for her appearance… Everybody has been waiting for such a long time and it gives us hope something is going to happen in the near future.”

Lafluer said that she was happy with Bennett’s message to the survivors.

“Everybody seems happy with what the minister said. I am also quite grateful for the opportunity to say something to the people. It’s very good, I think today went very well,” Lafluer said

While survivors may have been able to laugh off stories of neglect, abuse, and many more horrors of what occurred in the boarding school, the scars still linger. During her speech Bennett said she spoke with a few people from La Loche who couldn’t bear the thought of attending a gathering on the school grounds.

While no compensation announcement was made, Bennett was part of a group who ceremonially began the destruction of the former school house. The first corner of the old school hall was taken in an effort to begin the healing of some survivors.

“Once you know the truth, you can’t unknow the truth. That’s what our job is together; to make sure that everyone knows the truth,” Bennett said. “As we learned from the important work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, that we barely got at all of the truth. Now the work of reconciliation is up to all of us.”

Bryan.eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas

by Bryan Eneas

Minister Carolyn Bennett addresses boarding school survivors

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