Published by Senator Lillian Eva Dyck on 11 June 2009
Today is a significant day to reflect on Canada’s apology to First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, families and communities. The apology, made on June 11, 2008 by the Prime Minister on the floor of the House of Commons signified a turning point in the history of Canada’s First Peoples. This is a day to acknowledge a sad chapter in our history, characterized by the reality of harmful treatment, destruction of traditional cultures and languages, affliction of pain and a legacy of hopelessness and despair commonly experienced by many innocent aboriginal children as a direct result of the Indian Residential Schools system.
National Reconciliation Day is an opportunity for all Canadians to call on the government of Canada to take action in moving forward together with aboriginal people by pursuing a path of healing, initiating a new nation-to-nation, government-to-government relationship based on mutual trust and goodwill, working together in strong partnership, honouring the spirit and intent of aboriginal and treaty rights, sharing the resources of our traditional lands, and forging economic initiatives to create strong, self-sufficient communities.
First Nations, Inuit and Métis people are faced with great challenges. Many aboriginal communities are faced with numerous social issues such as longstanding systemic poverty, an education funding crisis, 27,000 children in state care, 87,000 housing units required across all First Nations communities, unsafe and overcrowded living conditions, contaminated drinking water, diseases, poor health conditions, youth suicides, etc.
This is why it is crucial for Canada and its Aboriginal peoples to reconcile and heal from past injustices in order to renew a nation-to-nation relationship based on trust, dignity, fairness, respect, and dialogue. We must also remember it is a shared responsibility with aboriginal people as Canada’s leaders to rebuild a strong relationship and create a solid foundation of hope for aboriginal people.
If a new relationship is established based on the principles of reconciliation and progressive restoration efforts such as investing in aboriginal children’s education, building new schools for children to learn, providing infrastructure funding to help create healthy living conditions, working with First Nations to resolve outstanding land claims, and most importantly, creating an effective and efficient system to get proven results through education, economic development, and self-government initiatives.
If this is truly realized, aboriginal children will have a solid opportunity to dream, to realize their full potential and to embrace life living in strong, healthy, flourishing, communities. Only then we can reach true reconciliation.
In retrospect, what good is an apology, if this country cannot fulfill their promises and obligations to First Nations, Inuit and Métis people?
Our communities, our people, our children have to be part of the equation.
It is time to put words into action and live up to pledged commitments made by the government of Canada following the national apology to residential school survivors.