Joseph Murdoch-Flowers appointed to board of National Council for Reconciliation

Joseph Murdoch-Flowers, an Iqaluit lawyer and co-executive director of the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre, has a new title.

He’s been named one of the directors for the National Council for Reconciliation, becoming a member of the newly formed council’s inaugural board.

“Canada’s strength is built on the voices, cultures, and histories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis,” Gary Anandasangaree, the federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, said Monday in the announcement.

“The National Council for Reconciliation’s first board of directors reflects this diversity and will advance real change.”

The council is tasked with driving “systemic change” and promoting “meaningful reconciliation” across all sectors of Canadian society through research, partnerships and public education, the announcement said.

It will also publish annual reports on Canada’s progress toward reconciliation.

The creation of the council is a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its Call to Action 53, which included establishing a permanent, independent, non-political and Indigenous-led organization, the announcement said.

The commission’s final report with 94 calls to action was released in 2015 with an aim to address the legacy of residential schools.

The federal government announced the budget of $126.5 million for the creation and first year of operations of the council in 2019.

This board of directors will serve for 18 months, after which the council will elect its new board of directors for a four-year term.