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With Tuesday’s release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report, a special drumming circle was hosted by the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program (ATEP) at Queen’s University.

Approximately 50 people gathered at Duncan McArthur Hall to take part in the event, honouring the work of the commission and to remember the victims of residential schools.

Lindsay Morcom, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of ATEP, says that commemorating the release of the report is important but adds that nothing will change unless there is a change to the way students are taught Canadian history.

“The reason that we wanted to do it here is that we see a lot of people who don’t understand Canadian history, and it’s because they were never taught it,” she says. “So we all see it as really important to train not only ATEP but all of our teacher candidates in indigenous education so they can teach reconciliation.”

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established as a result of the 2007 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Its mandate is to tell Canadians about the 150-year history of the schools, in part through the statements of those whose lives were affected by them.