I don't think there was a news story in 2021 that grabbed the attention, and more importantly, the heartstrings of Canadians more than when the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in May. Since that announcement, hundreds of unmarked graves have been discovered and disclosed. The latest statement in January 2022, of the discovery of 93 unmarked graves by Willams Lake First Nation, was the preliminary result of a geophysical search at St Joseph Mission Residential School.
These discoveries fuelled widespread calls for justice and accountability for the victims and survivors of the forced-assimilation institutions, as well as demands that the Canadian government release all records pertaining to the facilities.
Canada forced more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children to attend residential schools between the late 1800s and 1990s. The children were stripped of their languages and culture, separated from family members, and subjected to psychological, physical and sexual abuse. Thousands are believed to have died while attending the institutions, which were run by various churches, most notably the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church has also refused to release records, offer an apology or financial compensation.
The discoveries and announcements last year also forced me to admit how little I know about the horror of residential schools, the last of which closed in 1996. Yes, you read that correctly. 1996 - this did not occur and end in the 1800s. I was 39 years old then. More than enough time to at least be aware of the issue - I wasn't. Understand the issue - I didn't. Take some action on the issue - I had not.
I am also frustrated that I did not learn more about this part of Canadian history in school. The fact that our children did not cover it as part of their curriculum is also annoying. However, I own responsibility for that also. My lack of awareness and interest meant I never discussed this with our children (until recently).
As it stands now in February 2022 I feel I am now more conscious of the issues surrounding residential schools. As I often do, I have turned to reading to try and educate myself and improve my understanding. In addition to reading any current news sources I can find, I have read a number of books that have helped. Five Little Indians, The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America, 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous People A Reality, From the Ashes: My Story of Being Metis, Homeless and Finding My Way were all part of my education. Last summer when Teresa and I drove to and from our cottage we listened to The Secret Life of Canada, a CBC podcast. Although the program does not exclusively deal with Indigenous topics, one of the hosts, Falen Johnson is Mohawk and Tuscarora from Six Nations. Her co-host, Leah-Simone Bowen is a Toronto-based, first-generation Canadian from Alberta, whose family hails from Barbados W.I. Their sensitive, thoughtful and often humorous podcasts have covered a number of topics regarding Canada's First Nations, including residential schools. I volunteer at Amnesty International Canada and am a member of the Gender Rights Team and also participate in the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls sub-group. All of this has definitely improved my awareness, but given my white middle-class upbringing and the privilege I have benefited from throughout my life, I am left woefully lacking in any real understanding of Indigenous issues in Canada.
As many of you know, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was launched in 2007. Between 2007 and 2015, the Government of Canada provided about $72 million to support the TRC's work. The TRC spent 6 years travelling to all parts of Canada and heard from more than 6,500 witnesses. The TRC also hosted 7 national events across Canada to engage the Canadian public, educate people about the history and legacy of the residential schools' system, and share and honour the experiences of former students and their families.
In June 2015, the TRC held its closing event in Ottawa and presented the executive summary of the findings contained in its multi-volume final report, including 94 "calls to action" (or recommendations) to further reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous peoples. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba now houses all of the documents collected by the TRC. In December 2015, the TRC released its entire 6-volume final report
One of the significant conclusions from the TRC was that Canada's residential school system amounted to "cultural genocide". To add to the horror of all of this it is important to remember that the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in 2019 stated that Canada carried out genocide against Indigenous women.
As I have posted on my blog previously, one of the things that concern and frustrates me is how we hold our governments accountable. It seems to me that it is very difficult for individuals or even groups of individuals to hold the government to account. I also feel that governments are less and less accountable as individuals are deluged with conflicting messages not only from politicians but by messages on social media. Quite frankly, I don't think politicians want to be held accountable and will do whatever they can to avoid it.
It is fine to say that elections hold politicians accountable, but elections have also become long, loud and confusing. They are often driven by the style and personality of the national leaders with little clear detail on specific issues. I think it is also fair to say that for the average Canadian (I am generalizing here) the government's performance on the execution against the TRC's 94 calls to action is way down their list of reasons to vote for a specific party.
Although there are some differences of opinion it is generally agreed that as of now the federal government has completed 13 of the 94 calls to action. WTF? Reminder, we are 7 years after the report was delivered! This is the performance of a government that wants to position itself as supportive and empathetic to First Nations issues. This is the government whose leader, Justin Trudeau, committed to eliminating all long-term drinking advisories in First Nations by March 2021. It is not just that the government did not make this commitment. If you read what Marc Miller, the Indigenous Services Minister at the time said leading up to the deadline, it was clear that the government was never going to make the deadline. They did not have the detailed action plan required to make the required improvements to eliminate the water advisories. So what is with Trudeau's commitment? To me, it is just another example of Trudeau's insincere and cynical statements that he knows he will not be held responsible for. This is the same Prime Minister that tried to hide the fact that he skipped out on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. He attended an event the evening prior to the National Day. He then tried to fake that he was calling First Nations groups on the day, when in fact he was on his government jet flying to Tofino for a family vacation. As an added insult Trudeau did not even respond to an invite from the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation to spend the National Day with them. Does anyone think Justin Trudeau has been held accountable for any of this? With his Teflon style, his goal is to ride out the brief media coverage until all is forgotten.
So what are we supposed to do? I have decided that I am going to start my own social media campaign. Once per week I am going to post on my thethirdperiod.ca social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) about the lack of progress on the 94 calls to action from the TRC report. I will tag, Justin Trudeau, Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and Patti Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario. I am using the hashtag "#TRC94when?". As I do further research, I will add individuals and organizations to my tag list. I am hoping that at some point Amnesty International Canada will join in and support my campaign.
I watched an episode of 60 minutes a number of months ago where they were interviewing an executive from the NAACP regarding the murder of George Floyd. She made the point that having more black people protest is not what is required. Black people are already protesting police brutality against Blacks. She suggested that what was needed to drive change was for White people to speak up and protest again police brutality against Blacks. I think this is similar with regard to Indigenous issues in Canada. Indigenous people have been speaking up for years against inequitable treatment by the government, police and Canadians. It is time for White people to speak up against injustice. This is my small attempt to do so.
I am not expecting that my posts or hashtag will go viral (although that would be fun). I do hope that it gets some level of interest and has some impact. Any of you can join my campaign. Here are my social media accounts:
Facebook - Thethirdperiod@thethirdperiod.ca
Twitter - @ThethirdperiodC
Instagram - gdi_the_third_period_ca
You can follow me and repost my weekly posts. If you send me your accounts I will tag you on my posts. I have a couple of things to set up and should be starting in March 2022.
This will be my small action to try and make a difference. If you have any suggestions, questions or comments please let me know at thethirdperiod.ca@gmail.com
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