Bezhig miigwan, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

Canadian universities have an important role to play in advancing truth and reconciliation. This National Indigenous History Month, learn about the work universities are doing to acknowledge, teach and incorporate Indigenous histories into their institutions.

We are all one, connected, and it is vital to work together to achieve reconciliation.

That is one of the messages of the new National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR), hosted at the University of Manitoba—selected as the home of the Centre due to its strong commitment to human rights research.

The NCTR seeks to continue the work started by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada by acting as custodian of experiences shared by Residential School Survivors, and by continuing research that supports healing, education and understanding.

The heart of the NCTR is the archives—the documents, photos and lived experiences recorded by Survivors. The archives are housed at the NCTR to be safeguarded, preserved and studied and shared with respect. These records are integral to advancing truth and reconciliation, decolonizing history by uncovering unmarked burial sites and mapping Residential Schools, developing educational resources and curating physical and digital exhibits.

Learn more about the NCTR’s mandates and vision on their website.

The NCTR’s spirit name is bezhig miigwan, meaning “one feather”.