Truth and Reconciliation Commission is facing funding and bureaucratic problems

THE MONTREAL GAZETTE REPORTS
that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is facing funding and bureaucratic problems that may prevent them from reaching their goals. The commission is looking for more cash, is having difficulty accessing historical records from government departments, is encountering bureaucratic delays in hiring staff, and, now, the national research centre the TRC is mandated to create may not become a reality. “It now seems likely that the Commission’s budget will not allow the Commission to fund the creation of a National Research Centre,” wrote TRC Chair Murray Sinclair in his 2010/2011 performance report. “The requirement to create an entire federal department, subject to and accountable for the complete range of federal government statutes, regulations, policies, directives and guidelines, with a very limited staffing complement and with significant budget limitations, has posed considerable challenges.” The Gazette says Opposition MPs are “worried about the commission’s future considering the Conservatives are searching for five- to 10-per-cent cuts across the federal government.” NDP Aboriginal Affairs critic Linda Duncan said the commission is being short-changed. “It’s one thing (for the government) to create the commission, it’s another to give it your full support.”