Stop Thief!

There is, I think, something to be said for the supposed benevolence of the man. When the powers that be can get their act together to try and make a bad situation better for the people that are affected; thinking of disasters, natural and not, it is easy to see the immediate benefit of troops sandbagging against the rising river or the heroic actions of so many when the towers came down that sunny September day. Not many would argue that big brother wasn't needed. But when it comes to the idea that big brother had it right when it comes to First Nations, well - the jury has already come to a decision there and it's not pretty by any stretch of the imagination. There may have been snippets of trying to do good but overwhelmingly we have acted poorly.

We all know the history to one degree or another;  a cultural genocide that featured such gems as The Gradual Enfranchisement Act, which sounds good but really wasn't, which led to The Indian Act which gave us reneged treaties, residential schools, The 60's Scoop and on and on and on. If you think we are any different to our neighbours to the south please think again. Our country has a dark stain on its heart for what we have done to the original owners of the land we call Canada.

I'll be the first to admit that my own knowledge of the depth of the horrific treatment of the tribes of Canada is paltry but it doesn't take a PhD to figure out that we have been without honour in our dealings for far too long. Where does this post come from? Yesterday listening to commentary from individuals that were responding to the premier of Saskatchewan and his apology for his provinces part in the 60's Scoop. These people sounded hollow to me, as if they've had enough of fighting to simply get someone to stand up and say sorry. That the mere effort to get to this stage had drained them completely, and it upset me. Why? Because we have, on full display for the world to see, the systematic racism that First Nations people face every day. There is no escaping it; it is fact and it is ugly. It may be better than it used to be but it ain't good. I have seen it in daily dealings from everyday people and I have read stories of the high incarceration rates, children sniffing gas on reserves and the abject horror of murdered and missing women. We have been and continue to steal a culture away from a people that deserve our support and protection just as if it was little Ashley or Jordan down the street.

We are not alone in this world when it comes to how we treat the founding nations; we are part of a fraternity of nations that I wish we were not but hiding our heads in the sand is not the answer. We have to face the truth and continue to work at redemption. Words matter but actions will make the most difference. Healing the sins of our fathers will take time, education and true engagement - I hope we are up to the task.

Ciao
D