Events and updates

Book launch and reception

Please join Dr. Marie Wilson for the launch of her book, North of Nowhere. Song of a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner. 

Tuesday, May 27 at 7 p.m. | Wilmot United Church | 473 King Street, Fredericton

• One of The Hill Times 100 Best Books of 2024
• Copies of North of Nowhere will be available for purchase
• Reading, discussion, book signing, reception
• All are welcome

The book is an incomparable first-hand account of the historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada told by one of the commissioners who led it.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established to record the previously hidden history of more than a century of forced residential schooling for Indigenous children. Marie Wilson helped lead that work as one of just three commissioners.

With the skills of a journalist, the heart of a mother and grandmother, and the insights of a life as the spouse of a residential school survivor, Commissioner Wilson guides readers through her years witnessing survivor testimony across the country, providing her unique perspective on the personal toll and enduring public value of the commission.

Part vital public documentary, part probing memoir, North of Nowhere breathes fresh air into the possibilities of reconciliation amid the persistent legacy of residential schools. It is a call to everyone to view the important and continuing work of reconciliation not as an obligation but as a gift.

The Maritime book launch of the tour is timely; the tenth anniversary of the 94 Calls to Action is on June 2, and many of the calls remain unfulfilled.

The sponsors of the Fredericton event are St. Thomas University, Wilmot United Church, and the University of New Brunswick.

Dr. Marie Wilson CM, ONWT, MSC

Marie Wilson spent six years crisscrossing the country as a commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. She has spoken throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand on the potential of reconciliation.

Born in Ontario, she has lived, studied, and worked as a journalist, teacher, professor, trainer, and executive in Canada, France, Burkina Faso, South Africa, and parts of South America. She lives in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

For her career as a journalist, her work on social justice, civic engagement, spiritual and community development, and her work as a Commissioner with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Wilson was awarded an honorary degree from St. Thomas University in 2012.

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