Bishop and Indigenous Leader in Dialogue on Residential Schools

Chief J. Wilton “Willie” Littlechild and Edmonton’s Archbishop Richard Smith recently came together in Maskwacis, Alberta to discuss reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples in Canada, and the response to the finding at the Kamloops Residential School site.

Chief Littlechild is a former Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations. He was also a commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a member of the 1977 Indigenous delegation to the United Nations and he worked on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He is a recipient of the Order of Canada, Alberta Order of Excellence and Queen's Counsel.

Archbishop Smith has been Archbishop of Edmonton since 2007. He serves as President of the Catholic Bishops of Alberta and the Northwest Territories, and is past president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Joint statement: https://youtu.be/fPtpgvlsPAw

Interview with the two leaders: https://youtu.be/9OXW395L2dU