[van-announce] The Aboriginal Experience; Canadian Conference on Preventing Crimes Against Humanity

[resist at resist.ca]

Canadian Conference on Preventing Crimes Against Humanity:
Lessons from the Asia Pacific War (1931-1945)
c/o International House of UBC, 1783 West Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
Tel: 604-822-4904  Fax: 604-822-5099  Email: apl.conference at ubc.ca
www.aplconference.ca

March 21-22


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2003

Abuse of First Nations in Residential Schools
a Crime against Humanity

(Vancouver, BC) "The First Nation's Residential School experience in Canada
meets the international standards of crimes against humanity and the UN
Genocide Convention. Parallels can, therefore, be drawn to themes emerging
from lessons from the Asia Pacific War" said Madeleine MacIvor, Associate
Director, UBC First Nations House of Learning, one of the sponsors of the
Canadian Conference on Preventing Crimes against Humanity: Lessons from the
Asia-Pacific War (1931-1945) that will be held on March 21-22, at the
Longhouse, UBC.

The conference is examining the lessons of the war in the Asia-Pacific the
first day and then seeks to apply those lessons to the present on the
second.

Distinguished author Dr. Roland David Chisjohn will address the issue of
"Healing and redress for victims of residential schools in Canada" at a
plenary session on Saturday.  Dr. Chrisjohn will discuss the struggle of the
First Nations people for overcoming the impact and trauma of their
Residential School Experience.  Chrisjohn is a member of the Oneida Nation
of the Confederacy of Haudenausaunee (Iroquois), Director of the Native
Studies program at St.Thomas University in Fredericton and author of "The
Circle Game: Shadows and Substance in the Indian Residential School
Experience in Canada "(1997).

As well, two workshops on Saturday will focus on related issues:

Crimes against Humanity - The Residential School Experience:
In this workshop a short, award winning film "A Century of Genocide in the
Americas: the Residential School Experience" will be screened. Following the
film, Gerry Oleman, Stl'atl'imx nation and Shane Pointe, Musqueam nation
will speak of their work with the Indian Residential School Survivors
Society.

Cultural Genocide and Self Determination - The Aboriginal Experience:
The main speaker of this workshop is Dr. Richard Vedan, of the Neskonlith
Band, Secwepemc Nation, who is also an Associate Professor in UBC's School
of Social Work and Director of First Nations House of Learning. Dr. Vedan
will present an historical overview of the colonization of Aboriginal people
- a process of cultural genocide. It will be followed by interactive
discussion for exploring possible directions towards self-determination of
the Aboriginal people.

The two-day conference commemorates the 40th anniversary of the United
Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
and will include plenary and workshop sessions on Japan's military sexual
slavery ("comfort women"), biological warfare, terror of A-bombs, POWs &
Canadian Hong Kong veterans, violence against women in war and in peace,
peace and justice in the Middle East, racial profiling, a peace workshop and
a special workshop for teachers.

Registration for the conference can be done on-line via the conference
web-site: www.aplconference.ca.  <www.aplconference.ca.>  In order to make
the conference widely accessible, organizers have set a low registration fee
and out-of-town students can apply for travel subsidies.

This conference is jointly sponsored by Canada Association for Learning and
Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (ALPHA); Canada Asia Pacific Resource
Network (CAPRN); Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens' Association
(JCCA) Human Rights Committee; UBC First Nations House of Learning; UBC
Women's Studies and Gender Relations; UBC International House.
-END-

Contact: Peter Scott
Phone: 604-822-4904     Fax: 604-822-5099
E-mail: apl.conference at ubc.ca