Why are residential school testimonies being destroyed?
Summary
Host Jamie Poisson discusses the impending 2027 destruction of 38,000 survivor testimonies from the Indian Residential Schools Independent Assessment Process. Guest Connie Walker, creator of the podcast *Stolen*, explains how these records were created during the settlement agreement and why the Supreme Court ordered their deletion. Walker details her efforts to preserve these stories through public lawsuit records and highlights the urgent need to counter rising residential school denialism, including recent white nationalist protests in Kamloops.
Topics discussed
Sponsor: Perk travel and spend platform
Introduction: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Guest intro: Connie Walker and the IAP record destruction
Background on the Independent Assessment Process (IAP)
Connie Walker's personal discovery of family history
The harrowing nature of IAP hearings and naming abusers
Survivor expectations vs. reality of the IAP process
2017 Supreme Court ruling on record destruction
Privacy concerns and the low opt-in rate for preservation
The failure of the survivor notice program
The urgency of losing survivors before the 2027 deadline
Critique of the 'My Records My Choice' outreach efforts
Sponsor: Perk and CBC podcast promotion
The Indian Residential School Records Project and lawsuits
Intergenerational trauma and the need for public access
The Kamloops discovery and shifting public consciousness
Rise of residential school denialism and white nationalism
Personal motivation to preserve truth and fight hate
Closing remarks and upcoming events
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