Residential schools operated in Canada for over 150 years. During this time more than 150,000
children attended these schools. In 2009, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
began a multi-year process to listen to and gather stories from those affected by the Residential
School system. Additionally, a mandate to collect other records including government and church
records was undertaken. The resulting collection of statements, documents, and other materials
is now maintained by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR).

Since its opening at the University of Manitoba campus in late 2015, the National Centre for
Truth and Reconciliation has created an inquiry process to make archived statements and
documents accessible to Survivors and their families. By developing and implementing this
unique process, the Centre involves provincial privacy legislation including the NCTR Act, and to
date, has released tens of thousands of pages to Survivors and their families.

This session will concentrate on the access and privacy work currently done at the NCTR for
releasing records to Survivors and their families. This will include explaining the intersection of
the NCTR Act with the inquiry process and its unique features that allow flexibility when
reviewing and making decisions about the kinds of information that are released.