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Truth and Reconciliation
6-14-2017
Since September, this column has been dedicated to understanding the perspective of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples. It was prompted by BC’s revised school curriculum which calls for infusion of Aboriginal content into all grades and subjects. The goal is for our next generation to have thorough knowledge regarding Indigenous peoples so that they can work towards repairing historic damages and ongoing destructive legacies. The dramatic shift seen in BC’s schools is aligned with the findings and recommendations of the landmark Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The TRC spent 6 years from 2008-2015 listening to thousands of residential school survivors and their families in a quest to acknowledge the past through truth-telling and restoring the once harmonious relationships. The TRC’s 381-page summary, “Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future”, lays bare the atrocities committed within residential schools, the trauma inflicted on the children, families, and communities, and includes 94 specific “calls for action” to rectify the situation and heal the wounds.
Education is a key piece of the solution. As Senator Murray Sinclair, chairperson of the TRC, states, “Money will not buy new attitudes. Education will. It is through education that we got here, and it is through education that we will fix this relationship...What our education systems need to do is this: it must commit to teach Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children – our children – how to speak respectfully to and about each other in the future. It begins with teaching them the truth about our history. Knowing what happened will lead to understanding. Understanding leads to respect… Education must remedy the gaps in historical knowledge that perpetuate ignorance and racism. But education for reconciliation must do even more. Survivors told us that Canadians must learn about the history and legacy of residential schools in ways that change both minds and hearts.”
As Canadians, we must recognize the cost of our historic ill-treatment towards Aboriginal peoples, and use this painful recollection to prevent further harm. Senator Sinclair explains, “Understanding the ethical dimension of history is especially important. Students must be able to make ethical judgments about the actions of their ancestors while recognizing that the moral sensibilities of the past may be quite different from their own in present times. They must be able to make informed decisions about what responsibility today's society has to address historical injustices. This will ensure that tomorrow's citizens are both knowledgeable and caring about the injustices of the past, as these relate to their own futures.”
Furthermore, “Non-Aboriginal Canadians hear about the problems faced by Aboriginal communities, but they have almost no idea how those problems developed. There is little understanding of how the federal government contributed to that reality through residential schools and the policies and laws in place during their existence. Our education system, through omission or commission, has failed to teach this. It bears a large share of the responsibility for the current state of affairs. It became clear over the course of the Commission's work that most adult Canadians have been taught little or nothing about the residential schools. More typically, they were taught that the history of Canada began when the first European explorers set foot in the New World. Nation building has been the main theme of Canada's history curricula for a long time, and Aboriginal peoples, with a few notable exceptions, have been portrayed as bystanders, if not obstacles, to that enterprise.”
Reconciliation is not an Aboriginal problem; it’s a Canadian one that we all share. As the TRC report says, “Reconciliation calls for personal action. People need to get to know each other. They need to learn how to speak to, and about, each other respectfully. They need to learn how to speak knowledgeably about the history of this country. And they need to ensure that their children learn how to do so as well.”
One immediate step you can take is to attend local events honouring National Aboriginal Day - Wednesday, June 21. It’s a day designated to celebrating the culture, heritage, and contributions of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples. There are many events open to the public throughout the Lower Mainland with one of the biggest happening at Trout Lake in Vancouver. More information available here http://aboriginaldaylive.ca/vancouver/schedule/ Taking part in the celebrations is a chance for us to educate ourselves further, but it’s also a prime opportunity to show solidarity, find common ground, and express respect for one another – foundational pieces of reconciliation.
Zainab Dhanani can be reached at z_dhanani@yahoo.ca
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