The Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle would like to mark the passing of Justice Thomas Berger who died on Wednesday April 28, 2021 at the age of 88. As a coalition focussed on the work of reconciliation, we wish to honour the many contributions he made in a lifetime dedicated to justice and right relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples in Canada. We remember in particular, his leadership in the Berger Inquiry (1974-77) with its Landmark Report Northern Frontier- Northern Homeland, which is acknowledged as a turning point in the history of resource development in Canada. As the Commissioner of the MacKenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, Justice Berger led a process that brought the voice of Indigenous Peoples to the foreground to a degree not seen before. In his letter presenting his findings the Canadian Government Justice Berger anticipated what would become the demands for free, prior and informed consent by stating. “The decisions we have to make are not, therefore, simply about northern pipelines. They are decisions about the protection of the northern environment and the future of northern peoples.”As we mark his passing, we invite people of faith and good will to reflect on the role that Justice Berger’s work has played in the development of our understanding of the demands and promise of justice in our time.
