Easier Said Than Done: The Political Discourse About Indigenous-Settler Reconciliation in Canada

In 2015 the Truth and Recon­cili­ation Commission in Canada published a detailed report on the violent history of the resi­dential school system in Canada and reco­mmended 94 Calls to Action (CtA) to help the Canadian government and society to redress this histo­rical system of violence and confront their own settler colonial history. However, despite these CtAs and Prime Minister Trudeau’s commitment, only a fraction has been imple­mented seven years later. The author explores in a critical discourse ana­lysis the poli­tical debate surrounding the slow imple­mentation, revealing constructive and destructive factors influ­encing progress. The report concludes with an impe­rative for key political actors to acce­lerate imple­mentation, consi­dering the urgency for Indi­genous commu­nities facing discri­mination and systemic issues.