Cadmus Delorme takes over as Chair of the Federal Committee on the Identification and Disclosure of Historical Dormitory Documents
Chief Cadmus Delorme of Cowess’s First Nation will oversee the investigation and dissemination of historical documents related to boarding schools in Canada.
Delorme recently announced that he would not seek a third term as chief of Cowess, which is about 140 kilometers east of Regina.
Crown−Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada announced Monday that Delorme will serve as chair of the residential school’s new advisory committee on documents.
The committee is tasked with developing recommendations on how historical documents related to boarding schools can be identified and shared with the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation.
“There can be no reconciliation without first uncovering the truth, and the exchange of relevant documents will assist us in that,” Marc Miller, Secretary of State for Crown Indigenous Relations, said in a press release about Delorme’s appointment.
The committee will be composed of residential home survivors, members of First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities, experts and federal government officials, the release said.
Delorme will be the committee’s independent chair and will have a mandate to ensure that indigenous voices are considered in all discussions and decisions surrounding the “identification, review and sharing of documents related to residential schools,” Crown−Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada in release.
Delorme wasn’t immediately available for an interview Tuesday after the announcement, but did appear on CBC last week the morning edition with Stefani Langenegger and spoke about the type of work he would like to do after his tenure as boss ends.
“I want to help with the economy. I want to help with reconciliation,” he said.
“There is an indigenous worldview and a western worldview that we all have here. And I hope I could be a specialist somewhere to help bridge these for a stronger future.”
LISTEN| Cadmus Delorme on the self-sustaining future of indigenous economies:
new role
Delorme attracted international attention for his leadership following the discovery of 751 potential unmarked graves on the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Cowess.
This experience was cited multiple times in the press release announcing Delorme’s appointment.
Stephanie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation, was quoted as saying Delorme played a “central role” in bringing global attention to the presence of unmarked graces at former residential home sites.
“We applaud Chief Delorme’s leadership in this new role,” she said.
Miller said Delorme’s “extensive leadership and managerial experience” will be beneficial to the committee’s mandate.
Canada has disclosed more than four million documents to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Under the terms of the federal government’s Residential Schools Policies Agreement, which officially recognized 139 residential schools across Canada, all parties agreed to collect historical documents related to the schools and house them with the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation.
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada said it is currently identifying the number and type of all documents that were not previously shared. The review is expected to be completed this spring.
