Two leaders of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission are off to Hawaii for a week-long conference - partly at commission expense - before returning to Canada to debate whether the residential-schools panel needs more money.
Commissioners Wilton Littlechild and Marie Wilson are among several Canadians scheduled to be in Honolulu for a week starting Thursday to address the Healing Our Spirit Worldwide conference. Billed as an international forum on indigenous healing and substance abuse, the conference kicks off with a football game and tailgate party at Aloha Stadium and features a two-day hula workshop.
Conference organizers have agreed to pay some of the travel costs for the invited commissioners, but the commission estimated Wednesday that it will be on the hook for between $5,000 and $6,000. The commission said about 800 other Canadians will attend as delegates, but they are expected to pay their own way.
In addition to discussions about needle-exchange programs, obesity and mental health, the week provides plenty of opportunity for lighter fare, including the tailgate party and swimming under a waterfall. But Mr. Littlechild said he won't be attending any of those recreational events. He said the conference is of such value that he decided to attend, even though he knew there might be criticism because Hawaii is seen as a "non-work" environment.
"I'm not doing any of that," he said of lighter activities. "I think there's a lot of expertise globally to deal with challenges that indigenous people face."
Mr. Littlechild, a former residential-school student, said if there are objections to the cost of the trip, he would be willing to cover the expenses personally.
Ms. Wilson could not be reached for comment.
The commission's $60-million, five-year budget is a direct result of the out-of-court settlement Ottawa and the churches reached to compensate former students of residential schools for the decades-long state policy that removed aboriginal children from their families. A string of delays and resignations has already extended the commission's mandate into a sixth year, but the extension did not involve a budget increase.
Officials with the commission have suggested that their budget may not be enough to accomplish the massive task of crossing the country to gather stories from former students, many of whom live in remote communities. Meetings are scheduled to take place when the commissioners return to determine whether they will ask Ottawa for more money.
A spokesman for former students said the trip came to light only after an organizer of residential-school events invited commissioners for a meeting in Northern Ontario and the invitation was declined because of a conflict with the Honolulu trip.
"It's on the backs of survivors," Michael Cachagee fumed. The executive director of the National Residential Schools Survivors Society noted that his organization has largely been silenced after Ottawa cut off all funding last year, citing concern over expenses.
"They come down here and nitpick the hell out of me and the organization, yet you've got these clowns going off to Hawaii," he said.
The first official event Thursday is a tailgate and football game, featuring the University of Hawaii versus the University of Southern California.
"Begin in the parking lot of Aloha Stadium for a good-times tailgate party full of barbecue, burgers and soft beverages," states the official itinerary. "Once inside the stadium, the party continues as we sit together to cheer on our favorite team, the whole thing televised on ESPN. We return you to Waikiki in your air-conditioned motorcoach, pumped up for the rest of the week."
Some of the side events on offer during the conference include "Waikiki by Land and Sea," a guided walking tour followed by "a double-hulled canoe and paddle along the shores while your guide gives you an ocean side tour of the famous beaches."
A "Mysteries of Honolulu" event features "stories of cultural and supernatural occurrences throughout Honolulu," while another offers a two-day workshop on the hula by an "internationally renowned" hula teacher.
The international conference is held roughly every four years. The last one, in 2006, was in Edmonton.