Having Canada’s prime minister visit Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) on March 30 and meet with residential school survivors was a long time coming for Charlene Belleau who has been involved with working to address the residential school legacy for 35 years.
“At the same time, I know that the work that needs to be done will be led by us,” Belleau said. “They [government] just need to make sure that what resources we need are available and what research and documents they have we get access to so that we can identify and get the closure that families, communities and nations need for their children that have disappeared here.”
READ MORE: ‘I’m here to listen,’: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits Williams Lake First Nation
Appointed by the B.C. government as a First Nations liaison to work with former Indian residential school and Indian hospital sites, Belleau has been helping WLFN with its investigation of the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School.
A former Esk’etemc chief, she has been supporting the team, as part of the research aspect, including listening to stories from former students about what they saw and what they know.
“It has been invaluable for sure because their information really has informed the phase one research and it will inform phase two. What they say is what they know their truth is and we will follow up on all of that.”
When asked how people have been coping, Belleau said there is strength in being able to identify and tell somebody about the past.
“There is power in that, but also them trusting us that we will take their information and do something with it. They need to know that we are going to follow up with what it is they tell us.”
WLFN Chief Willie Sellars said he was hopeful about the commitments he and his council talked about with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Crown and Indigenous Services Marc Miller and National Chief RoseAnne Archibald during a private meeting Wednesday.
“There is still a lot of work to do, we understand that and we acknowledge that, but this is a step forward,” Sellars said.
READ MORE: Trudeau announces $2.9 million funding to further St. Joseph’s Mission investigation
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