Public Conference and opportunity for reflection.

All are welcome.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Bennett Lecture Hall,
Flavelle House, 78 Queen’s Park,
University of Toronto Faculty of Law

 

Five years after the historic settlement agreement that settled Indian Residential Schools cases against the federal government and the churches, UofT Faculty of Law paused to reflect on what has been accomplished and what lies ahead in these historic processes.  We were joined by Chief Phil Fontaine, former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations;  The Honourable Frank Iacobucci, former Supreme Court of Canada justice who led the settlement process; The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and many others involved in this historic agreement. 

Full agenda (PDF)

Conference Webcast

The entire conference can be viewed as a webcast. Click on the session titles below to see the relevant video.

9:00 - 9:15 - Opening Prayer: Cat Criger, Council for UofT Aboriginal Initiatives Elder

9:15 - Welcoming Remarks from Dean Mayo Moran and Introduction of Chief Phil Fontaine

9:15 - 10:00 - Context and Background to the Settlement Agreement (includes above)
Chief Phil Fontaine, former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations

10:00 - 11:15 - The Residential Schools Litigation Process
Panel Chair: Professor Kent Roach, University of Toronto Faculty of Law; Special Advisor to Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
Plaintiffs’ Representative: Celeste Poltak, Koskie Minsky LLP
Church Representative: Reverend James Scott, United Church of Canada
Government Representative: Mitchell Taylor, Q.C., Department of Justice
The Role of the Courts: The Honourable Terrence McMahon (ret.), Alberta
Dean Bruce Feldthusen, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

11:25 - 12:30 - The Role of the Legal Profession in the Processes
Panel Chair: Professor Kent Roach, University of Toronto Faculty of Law
Professor Trevor Farrow, Osgoode Hall Law School
Paul Favel, Q.C., Assembly of First Nations representative to Independent Oversight Committee and lawyer, McKercher LLP
John Terry, Torys LLP
Professor Carrie Menkel-Meadow , University of California, Irvine

12:30 - 1:30 - Lunch and Keynote on the Settlement Agreement
The Honourable Frank Iacobucci, introduced by Professor Kent Roach

1:30 - 2:45 - Implementing the Settlement Agreement
Panel Chair: Dean Mayo Moran, University of Toronto Faculty of Law; Chair, Settlement Processes Independent Oversight Committee
Caroline Clark, Department of Justice
Delia Opekokew, Deputy Chief Adjudicator, Independent Assessment Process
David Paterson, Paterson Law, Vancouver
Professor Kathleen Mahoney, University of Calgary

3:00 - 4:15 - Broader Lessons to be Learned
Panel Chair: Professor Patrick Macklem, University of Toronto Faculty of Law
Professor John Borrows, University of Minnesota Law School
Professor David Dyzenhaus, University of Toronto Faculty of Law
Professor Michael Marrus, University of Toronto Department of History
Professor Courtney Jung, University of Toronto Department of Political Science

4:15 - 5:00 - The Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, Chair, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, introduced by Professor Douglas Sanderson, University of Toronto Faculty of Law