Source: (2011) Master of Arts Thesis. Department of Sociology. University of Manitoba.
Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established as one of the
responses seeking to address the harm done by the Indian residential school system.
While the main goals of the TRC include discovering truth and promoting healing and
reconciliation, it is necessary to critically interrogate its design and activities in order to
gain insight into its potential to allow Canada to move beyond trauma and build a just
future. To accomplish this challenging task, my thesis employs qualitative research
design and applies the conceptual framework of restorative justice, Charles Taylor’s
theory of recognition, and Nancy Fraser’s tripartite theory of social justice in an attempt
to assess the TRC’s restorative and recognitive potential. The main finding of this thesis
is that the TRC is not fully restorative and possesses limited potential to contribute to the
decolonization of Canada. (author’s abstract)
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