hello everyone
what is reconciliation
what does indigenous mean what’s the
truth of Canada what can I do these are
common questions that I’m frequently
asked and so for my hopes for today is
just merely to provide a bit of insight
and contribute to the dialogues that are
occurring throughout the country a few
years ago I was visiting up home where
I’m from up north and James Bay the
community called Moosonee which is in
Northern Ontario that’s spending time
with my family and has visited with my
grandparents and I was sharing about my
experiences of living working in Toronto
my grandparents glanced at me and they
asked Michael can this is something that
mmm
goodness is old enough for them that was
a language based question and the
Muskego Cree language it means do you
understand me
and that really resonated with regards
to my role at the native Canadians in
Toronto one of my key functions is to
provide educational awareness sessions
to organizations in both the public and
private sector and in that regard it’s
the aims are to bridge pathways between
indigenous and non-indigenous I live and
work in Toronto which is an urban area
and my roots are from a remote community
and I see this as one of the fundamental
challenges for this country is that what
we make reference to indigenous it gets
relegated to be an exclusively on
indigenous narrative so I’d urge each
and every one of you here to expand your
scope of thinking to see it not as an
indigenous narrative but from a national
perspective and also not exclusive from
an urban versus remote and so for each
and every one of you here this is just
merely a process it’s not an outcome
I am unable to speak on the affairs of
indigenous nations nor do I represent
individual our collective groups I am
just merely a community member with a
message to share and contributing within
the conversation so my idea for today is
regards to self-awareness then in my
grandparents sentiment the key word is
understanding what is my understanding
to reconciliation and does it mean
anything to you so what is
reconciliation it’s a question that
requires context and has garnered much
prominence fall in Truth and
Reconciliation Commission producing a
final report with 94 calls to action a
call to action for all Canadians and one
of the key elements has been with
regards to education if I asked each and
every one of you here today how you
would define reconciliation I may
receive a wide variance of
interpretation and from my experience
there are two pathways I see for
reconciliation from a retributive our
restorative basis my efforts are aligned
restorative narratives because it’s not
adversarial nature it promotes dialogue
it’s an exchange of views and it
promotes healing so for both indigenous
and non-indigenous my question to you
where do you stand from retribution or
restoration so which in regards to that
the spaces that are being created
between indigenous and non-indigenous if
we’re promoting dialogue exchanging
views there’s another key question for
your own self-reflection Canada has
defined its relationship to occur
between indigenous and non-indigenous
but what does indigenous mean for
example for individual and collective
whom our first nation maytee Inuit in
Canada you may associate with the
following terms
aboriginal indigenous native Indian
status non-status on reserve offers Irv
urban indigenous etc who define those
terms I’m going to draw a line in the
sand not there is rooted in bureaucracy
and policy if I introduce myself to you
I’d say what J Michael Aaron see Scott
soon
Muskego Nina not indigenous Deena not
Aboriginal Nia but this is important
there’s no right or wrong response to
this if you associate was that such
justifiably so but it’s important to
acknowledge etymology the roots of this
language and the origin of these terms
because in Canada we currently have over
60 active indigenous languages in this
country so if we stand for
reconciliation
how many official languages should there
be not to over 60 and so in that regard
here
the views that are being shaped between
the indigenous and non-indigenous I want
to focus for under non-indigenous when
these dialogues are occurring this space
that is being defined is crucially
important as a non indigenous Canadian
do you see this conversation from a
position of respect and recognition or
do you see indigenous people for a
position of disadvantage there are
systemic realities in this country but
does that define who indigenous people
are we’ve been so extensively labeled
and classified as victims marginalized
oppressed displaced dispossessed so in
that manner I share with you everyone
here we must understand an objective
truth to understand this conversation
because that’s where the accountability
lies so for each and every one of you
here and for all Canadians where do you
see this from a position of respect and
recognition SAR do you see a front
position of disadvantage to understand
that we must understand the truth truth
and reconciliation what is the truth
2017 is a significant year it’s been
identified as Canada’s 150 I would echo
the sentiments of many indigenous
community members and leaders throughout
the country who have said decolonize 150
resist 150 canada’s 150 plus saying that
canada’s merely more than 150 years i
remain neutral in this conversation it’s
not my role to define but i saw this
year as a unique opportunity to provide
education and awareness to community
so for canada’s 150 i asked simply where
are we now there are two contradiction
conversations within this country one is
of assimilation policy the other is
through the treaty relationship nation
to nation
the inherent rights to land one of these
two Garner’s more recognition than the
other which is assimilation policy and
if we look at this objectively this here
must be challenged and this conversation
must be shared in the same light to move
forward to reduce the misinformation to
Madhu’s reduce the misrepresentation of
indigenous peoples I like to explain
this first when I say reference to
assimilation policy assimilation policy
in Canada is referenced through the
Indian Act the reserve system
residential schools 60 scoop and also
the contemporary context of the over
representation of indigenous people the
child welfare and justice system I
categorize this as the systematic
breakdown of the collective the family
and in the individual the collective
being the Indian Act and reserves the
family being residential schools in the
60 scoop and the individual for the
child welfare and justice system but
this year is euphemistic in nature if
you do not have a context our
understanding of the history you will
relegate this to a confirmation bias and
disassociate yourself from the facts so
to veer away from the euphemism I will
define these as such in my own view the
Indian Act is racialized policy against
the population of people that is active
legislation in 2017 the reserve system
is an apartheid system residential
schools I categorize as genocide in
Canada not cultural genocide and then
also the 60 scoop is the stolen
generation of indigenous children I
would like to focus my point with
regards to residential schools and
provide my rationale I’ve been providing
hundreds of presentations to public and
private sector and I’ve asked groups
cultural genocide
in association with residential schools
many interpreted as solely as an impact
on one’s cultural values and a loss of
identity and does not establish
the objective truth of that institution
for example in 1907 dr. Peter Bryce
produced the report the head of Indian
Affairs which identified the mortality
rates in that school one had a mortality
rate as high as 75% and the common trend
through the schools that were reviewed
was 24% in 1948 the United Nations held
the Genocide Convention followed World
War two the countries came together to
establish an understanding of what
constitutes and is defined as genocide
which was found and called article to
article two had five clauses and Canada
fails that in association to residential
schools but I would like to emphasize
article three in there was a term called
cultural genocide and through a request
for information there is a memorandum
out there that identifies Canada being
and complete opposition to you were
having that term recognized and it says
if this term is not dropped do not
become a signatory to this convention
and as a result that term was dropped in
Canada we fall under the British common
law system there’s a legal term it’s
called precedent precedent decides
future decision making my question is
this in relation to residential schools
why is Canada implemented terminology
they were historically in opposition to
this is one of many unanswered questions
with regards to reconciliation and also
how to move our efforts forward in a
just way
now the second narrative has to do with
the treaty relationship inherent rights
to land nation to nation I see this as
the platform for reconciliation in
Canada because when you make reference
to reconciliation we’re not created a
new process it’s through restoration
because there are historical instances
that speak to the validity of these
relations through peace friendship
respect and Trust
now the assimilation policies have
impacted that trust and hindered the
pathways we seek as indigenous and
non-indigenous for each and every one of
you here I would encourage you to
familiarize self well word is my
relationship lie in terms of the land I
reside on your point of reference could
be seeded and unseeded lands now these
acts of reconciliation I would like to
provide a critique with regards to land
acknowledgments because these are some
of the early precursors to
reconciliation moving forward when I
provide reference to land
acknowledgments I would like to also
highlight the United Nations declaration
on the rights of indigenous people
within there there’s a clause
it’s called fpi sea free prior informed
consent when I speak in public forums I
get a wide array of organizational
representatives from public and private
sector and I ask everyone this how many
here are implementing land
acknowledgments I don’t know why but
everyone smiles go yeah they’re
expecting I don’t know some type of pat
on the back but then I ask them this how
many of you that have your hand up how
many of you communicated consulted with
and establish consent from all those
that digits nations that you just
identified all the hands go down to that
I asked is that not a subtle
continuation of paternalism assuming
it’s in the best interest for these
nations to be identified and if
reconciliations about relationships
doesn’t that speak to an absence of a
relationship being present
because that is rooted in rhetoric I’m
not against land acknowledgments I am
just challenged by their implementation
but there’s another second factor to
this as well the public and private
sector have a different statement and
that is a political crown representative
it’s called title title to land so if a
crown representative acknowledges the
very indigenous nations they’re opening
up a broader conversation for land
claims so this is my question to you are
these sentiments these acts of
reconciliation are they done in a
meaningful way are they mutually
beneficial and are they in the spirit of
reconciliation so I’d encourage everyone
here to build those relations and those
relationships lie at a local and
regional engagement to tie all this
together from my point I like to speak
from the oral histories I made it
evidently clear tonight use slides
because oral histories in many community
members share us such an exchange of
stories being an orator because as it
digits non-indigenous what we share this
community and also the land so this is a
story of the land
it’s called Wasaga jack how many of you
been to Thunder Bay raise your hand
TV here do you know the sleeping giant
they say that’s how I could see you
laughter my friend they say that’s how
large was Sega jack is was this giant
bean who traveled and with Sega Jack was
traveling and there was no humans on the
land at this time just animals and birds
and Wasaga Jack goes his community and
says today I’ve decided to give my power
to you the community and Wasaga Jack
brought up this pot of color one by one
all the animals and birds began to line
up and he started dipping them into this
pot of color and as they wander they
started developing gifts
I always make reference in contemporary
you get a new suit jack and you feel
good it was the same manner as such
these animals of burst are self being
they’re Gris and they said they
developed this which was the voice over
and over these animals and birds and so
for example one of these birds got at
their voice and made a call and that
flew off and they say this potted collar
became less and less and less until
there’s no more and then Wasaga jack
says I’ve given my power to you the
community and now these animals and
birds celebrated and so from that they
say the woodpecker was the one that was
missing and the woodpecker became absent
and then after Wasaga Jack returned all
these animals and birds were frantic and
said Wasaga jack was say go Jack you
forgot the woodpecker and then Wasaga
Jack said what can I do
and the annals of bird said what if we
work together and that’s what was done
this woodpecker was dipped in thought
together and oak in this job read and
they say this bird was the happiest bird
of them all now to close off a story for
the people I spoke to a school at one
time and this young child came up to me
losing grade three and said Michael when
our parents and teachers gonna catch up
to us and so that what I would say for
us is indigenous and non-indigenous to
answer a question the time is now for us
to stand together to walk together and
to heal together one day at a time
one step at a time here’s my call to
action to you what side of history do
you want to be a part of for the next
150 years for that being said thank you
in May
[Applause]
what is reconciliation
what does indigenous mean what’s the
truth of Canada what can I do these are
common questions that I’m frequently
asked and so for my hopes for today is
just merely to provide a bit of insight
and contribute to the dialogues that are
occurring throughout the country a few
years ago I was visiting up home where
I’m from up north and James Bay the
community called Moosonee which is in
Northern Ontario that’s spending time
with my family and has visited with my
grandparents and I was sharing about my
experiences of living working in Toronto
my grandparents glanced at me and they
asked Michael can this is something that
mmm
goodness is old enough for them that was
a language based question and the
Muskego Cree language it means do you
understand me
and that really resonated with regards
to my role at the native Canadians in
Toronto one of my key functions is to
provide educational awareness sessions
to organizations in both the public and
private sector and in that regard it’s
the aims are to bridge pathways between
indigenous and non-indigenous I live and
work in Toronto which is an urban area
and my roots are from a remote community
and I see this as one of the fundamental
challenges for this country is that what
we make reference to indigenous it gets
relegated to be an exclusively on
indigenous narrative so I’d urge each
and every one of you here to expand your
scope of thinking to see it not as an
indigenous narrative but from a national
perspective and also not exclusive from
an urban versus remote and so for each
and every one of you here this is just
merely a process it’s not an outcome
I am unable to speak on the affairs of
indigenous nations nor do I represent
individual our collective groups I am
just merely a community member with a
message to share and contributing within
the conversation so my idea for today is
regards to self-awareness then in my
grandparents sentiment the key word is
understanding what is my understanding
to reconciliation and does it mean
anything to you so what is
reconciliation it’s a question that
requires context and has garnered much
prominence fall in Truth and
Reconciliation Commission producing a
final report with 94 calls to action a
call to action for all Canadians and one
of the key elements has been with
regards to education if I asked each and
every one of you here today how you
would define reconciliation I may
receive a wide variance of
interpretation and from my experience
there are two pathways I see for
reconciliation from a retributive our
restorative basis my efforts are aligned
restorative narratives because it’s not
adversarial nature it promotes dialogue
it’s an exchange of views and it
promotes healing so for both indigenous
and non-indigenous my question to you
where do you stand from retribution or
restoration so which in regards to that
the spaces that are being created
between indigenous and non-indigenous if
we’re promoting dialogue exchanging
views there’s another key question for
your own self-reflection Canada has
defined its relationship to occur
between indigenous and non-indigenous
but what does indigenous mean for
example for individual and collective
whom our first nation maytee Inuit in
Canada you may associate with the
following terms
aboriginal indigenous native Indian
status non-status on reserve offers Irv
urban indigenous etc who define those
terms I’m going to draw a line in the
sand not there is rooted in bureaucracy
and policy if I introduce myself to you
I’d say what J Michael Aaron see Scott
soon
Muskego Nina not indigenous Deena not
Aboriginal Nia but this is important
there’s no right or wrong response to
this if you associate was that such
justifiably so but it’s important to
acknowledge etymology the roots of this
language and the origin of these terms
because in Canada we currently have over
60 active indigenous languages in this
country so if we stand for
reconciliation
how many official languages should there
be not to over 60 and so in that regard
here
the views that are being shaped between
the indigenous and non-indigenous I want
to focus for under non-indigenous when
these dialogues are occurring this space
that is being defined is crucially
important as a non indigenous Canadian
do you see this conversation from a
position of respect and recognition or
do you see indigenous people for a
position of disadvantage there are
systemic realities in this country but
does that define who indigenous people
are we’ve been so extensively labeled
and classified as victims marginalized
oppressed displaced dispossessed so in
that manner I share with you everyone
here we must understand an objective
truth to understand this conversation
because that’s where the accountability
lies so for each and every one of you
here and for all Canadians where do you
see this from a position of respect and
recognition SAR do you see a front
position of disadvantage to understand
that we must understand the truth truth
and reconciliation what is the truth
2017 is a significant year it’s been
identified as Canada’s 150 I would echo
the sentiments of many indigenous
community members and leaders throughout
the country who have said decolonize 150
resist 150 canada’s 150 plus saying that
canada’s merely more than 150 years i
remain neutral in this conversation it’s
not my role to define but i saw this
year as a unique opportunity to provide
education and awareness to community
so for canada’s 150 i asked simply where
are we now there are two contradiction
conversations within this country one is
of assimilation policy the other is
through the treaty relationship nation
to nation
the inherent rights to land one of these
two Garner’s more recognition than the
other which is assimilation policy and
if we look at this objectively this here
must be challenged and this conversation
must be shared in the same light to move
forward to reduce the misinformation to
Madhu’s reduce the misrepresentation of
indigenous peoples I like to explain
this first when I say reference to
assimilation policy assimilation policy
in Canada is referenced through the
Indian Act the reserve system
residential schools 60 scoop and also
the contemporary context of the over
representation of indigenous people the
child welfare and justice system I
categorize this as the systematic
breakdown of the collective the family
and in the individual the collective
being the Indian Act and reserves the
family being residential schools in the
60 scoop and the individual for the
child welfare and justice system but
this year is euphemistic in nature if
you do not have a context our
understanding of the history you will
relegate this to a confirmation bias and
disassociate yourself from the facts so
to veer away from the euphemism I will
define these as such in my own view the
Indian Act is racialized policy against
the population of people that is active
legislation in 2017 the reserve system
is an apartheid system residential
schools I categorize as genocide in
Canada not cultural genocide and then
also the 60 scoop is the stolen
generation of indigenous children I
would like to focus my point with
regards to residential schools and
provide my rationale I’ve been providing
hundreds of presentations to public and
private sector and I’ve asked groups
cultural genocide
in association with residential schools
many interpreted as solely as an impact
on one’s cultural values and a loss of
identity and does not establish
the objective truth of that institution
for example in 1907 dr. Peter Bryce
produced the report the head of Indian
Affairs which identified the mortality
rates in that school one had a mortality
rate as high as 75% and the common trend
through the schools that were reviewed
was 24% in 1948 the United Nations held
the Genocide Convention followed World
War two the countries came together to
establish an understanding of what
constitutes and is defined as genocide
which was found and called article to
article two had five clauses and Canada
fails that in association to residential
schools but I would like to emphasize
article three in there was a term called
cultural genocide and through a request
for information there is a memorandum
out there that identifies Canada being
and complete opposition to you were
having that term recognized and it says
if this term is not dropped do not
become a signatory to this convention
and as a result that term was dropped in
Canada we fall under the British common
law system there’s a legal term it’s
called precedent precedent decides
future decision making my question is
this in relation to residential schools
why is Canada implemented terminology
they were historically in opposition to
this is one of many unanswered questions
with regards to reconciliation and also
how to move our efforts forward in a
just way
now the second narrative has to do with
the treaty relationship inherent rights
to land nation to nation I see this as
the platform for reconciliation in
Canada because when you make reference
to reconciliation we’re not created a
new process it’s through restoration
because there are historical instances
that speak to the validity of these
relations through peace friendship
respect and Trust
now the assimilation policies have
impacted that trust and hindered the
pathways we seek as indigenous and
non-indigenous for each and every one of
you here I would encourage you to
familiarize self well word is my
relationship lie in terms of the land I
reside on your point of reference could
be seeded and unseeded lands now these
acts of reconciliation I would like to
provide a critique with regards to land
acknowledgments because these are some
of the early precursors to
reconciliation moving forward when I
provide reference to land
acknowledgments I would like to also
highlight the United Nations declaration
on the rights of indigenous people
within there there’s a clause
it’s called fpi sea free prior informed
consent when I speak in public forums I
get a wide array of organizational
representatives from public and private
sector and I ask everyone this how many
here are implementing land
acknowledgments I don’t know why but
everyone smiles go yeah they’re
expecting I don’t know some type of pat
on the back but then I ask them this how
many of you that have your hand up how
many of you communicated consulted with
and establish consent from all those
that digits nations that you just
identified all the hands go down to that
I asked is that not a subtle
continuation of paternalism assuming
it’s in the best interest for these
nations to be identified and if
reconciliations about relationships
doesn’t that speak to an absence of a
relationship being present
because that is rooted in rhetoric I’m
not against land acknowledgments I am
just challenged by their implementation
but there’s another second factor to
this as well the public and private
sector have a different statement and
that is a political crown representative
it’s called title title to land so if a
crown representative acknowledges the
very indigenous nations they’re opening
up a broader conversation for land
claims so this is my question to you are
these sentiments these acts of
reconciliation are they done in a
meaningful way are they mutually
beneficial and are they in the spirit of
reconciliation so I’d encourage everyone
here to build those relations and those
relationships lie at a local and
regional engagement to tie all this
together from my point I like to speak
from the oral histories I made it
evidently clear tonight use slides
because oral histories in many community
members share us such an exchange of
stories being an orator because as it
digits non-indigenous what we share this
community and also the land so this is a
story of the land
it’s called Wasaga jack how many of you
been to Thunder Bay raise your hand
TV here do you know the sleeping giant
they say that’s how I could see you
laughter my friend they say that’s how
large was Sega jack is was this giant
bean who traveled and with Sega Jack was
traveling and there was no humans on the
land at this time just animals and birds
and Wasaga Jack goes his community and
says today I’ve decided to give my power
to you the community and Wasaga Jack
brought up this pot of color one by one
all the animals and birds began to line
up and he started dipping them into this
pot of color and as they wander they
started developing gifts
I always make reference in contemporary
you get a new suit jack and you feel
good it was the same manner as such
these animals of burst are self being
they’re Gris and they said they
developed this which was the voice over
and over these animals and birds and so
for example one of these birds got at
their voice and made a call and that
flew off and they say this potted collar
became less and less and less until
there’s no more and then Wasaga jack
says I’ve given my power to you the
community and now these animals and
birds celebrated and so from that they
say the woodpecker was the one that was
missing and the woodpecker became absent
and then after Wasaga Jack returned all
these animals and birds were frantic and
said Wasaga jack was say go Jack you
forgot the woodpecker and then Wasaga
Jack said what can I do
and the annals of bird said what if we
work together and that’s what was done
this woodpecker was dipped in thought
together and oak in this job read and
they say this bird was the happiest bird
of them all now to close off a story for
the people I spoke to a school at one
time and this young child came up to me
losing grade three and said Michael when
our parents and teachers gonna catch up
to us and so that what I would say for
us is indigenous and non-indigenous to
answer a question the time is now for us
to stand together to walk together and
to heal together one day at a time
one step at a time here’s my call to
action to you what side of history do
you want to be a part of for the next
150 years for that being said thank you
in May
[Applause]
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