Chief Cadmus Delorme Shares Inspiring Message
River East Transcona School Division had the privilege on April 27 of being visited by Chief Cadmus Delorme of Saskatchewan’s Cowessess First Nation.
Chief Delorme has served as Chief of Cowessess since 2016. He rose to global prominence for his leadership after the discovery of 751 unmarked graves at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School on the reserve.
Staff from RETSD and St. James-Assiniboia School Division worked together to arrange a speaking engagement with Chief Delorme as part of our shared commitment to truth, reconciliation, and understanding our true history.
Throughout the day, Chief Delorme spoke to two large groups of administrators, managers, consultants, and other guests from both divisions, sharing his inspiring thoughts on the Treaties as mutual obligations and the complicated history of our country.
“We all inherited this. Nobody today created residential schools, nobody today created the Indian Act, nobody today created the Sixties Scoop,” said Chief Delorme. “We all inherited it and we have to acknowledge that people are healing and people are hurting. Let’s do something about it.”
In February, Chief Delorme announced that he will not seek a third term as Chief of Cowessess. Upon completing his second term, he will begin his work as the chairperson of the new Residential School Documents Advisory Committee. The committee’s role will be to develop recommendations on the identification and sharing of documents of historical interest with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.