SASKATOON —Wilton Littlechild will be heading the six-member charity corporation that will be tasked to manage the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund, money committed by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops for reparations brought by the damning legacy of residential schools.
Littlehead is former commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
CCCB announced Friday that Littlechild is one of the directors of the newly established charity, which is part of their healing and reconciliation initiatives with Indigenous peoples. The money is from the $30 million financial commitment made by Canadian bishops in September of last year. Contributions from Canada’s 73 dioceses will fund the intiative.
CCCB president Bishop Raymond said this shows commitment to fulfilling what they promised.
“The bishops of Canada are fully committed to addressing the historical and ongoing trauma caused by the residential school system. In moving forward with our collective financial commitment, we will continue to be guided by the experience and wisdom of Indigenous peoples across the country.
Littlechild will be leading the IRF board with Giselle Marion and Rosella Kinoshameg also joining him as directors. Natale Gallo, Claude Bédard and Barbara Dowding are also members of the corporation.
CCCB communications said the IRF will be transparent in handling the money.
“The fund will publish annual reports and will be subject to an audit by an independent accounting firm each year. Any administrative costs will be on top of the $30 million being raised and will not be deducted from this principal amount,” according to a statement.
The funds will prioritize healing and reconciliation for communities and families, culture and language revitalization, education and community building and dialogues for promoting indigenous culture and spirituality.
Granting committees — regional and diocesan that will be composed of Indigenous and Catholic members — will also be established to identify projects that would be funded. The committee will review applications and request the funds to support the projects. The CCCB recommends local Indigenous partners chair the committee.
“We recognize that there has been considerable disappointment with a previous Catholic fundraising campaign tied to the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement. While the CCCB was not a party to the agreement, we have recognized the shortcomings of this campaign and learned critically important lessons to ensure that the [IRF] is fully funded and well managed with appropriate oversight,” the CCCB said in a statement.
There are already existing fundraising initiatives from various Catholic units in the country, such as the Archdioceses of Winnipeg and St. Boniface in Manitoba, the Saskatchewan bishops and the Archdiocese of Vancouver. The CCCB will provide regular updates on the IRF’s work.
Backgrounds
Littlechild is a residential school survivor, lawyer and former Member of Parliament, who is a known advocate, locally and internationally, in advancing Indigenous peoples’ rights representing North America to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. He was also a former chairperson of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Commission on First Nations and Métis Peoples and Justice Reform.
Marion, a Tłı̨chǫ citizen, graduated with a law degree from the University of British Columbia and was admitted to the bar in the Northwest Territories in 2008. She was born and raised in Behchokǫ̀, N.W.T. previously worked for the Department of Justice, and is now the client services director with the Tłı̨chǫ Government in the Behchokǫ̀ office.
Kinoshameg, an Odawa/Ojibway woman from the Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation Territory, is a registered nurse who has five decades of experience working with First Nations communities with general home and community care, maternal-child health and immunizations. She was one of the original members of the CCCB’s Indigenous Council and continues to serve as Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle member.
Gallo was a former Knights of Columbus supreme director, representing Canada on the K of C’s International Board while Bédard is the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul-Canada national president. Dowding was a former national president of Canada’s Catholic Women’s League.
