Op-ed: Missed opportunities for reconciliation
- John Lagimodiere | April 16, 2014
In the shadow of the last national gathering of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, there are still many groups, individuals and businesses out there that are not acting in the true nature of reconciliation. Take for instance the City of Regina. In 2012, an engineering firm surveyed an area on the western edge of the city and found there was a minimum of 22 grave sites and possibly 40. It was the site of the former Regina Indian Industrial School. Buried in the cemetery are the bodies of children from First Nations and MĂ©tis communities, as well as the children of the school's first principal.
On Friday April 4, 2014, the Regina Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee sent an email to the generic email address of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada saying that the committee was going to consider a report at its meeting on Monday April 7th. The email invited any interested persons to make submissions to the Committee or to City Council.
Of course the TRC is going to be interested in this. They have a specific mandate to examine the issue of missing and deceased children from industrial and residential schools, the location of the cemeteries and the identification of the children buried there. And the City of Regina gave them three days notice just before a weekend. We wonder what their intent was there.
Eventually the City released a report calling for the cemetery to be maintained in the same way as dry land vegetation. In other words, the owner has to cut the vegetation in the cemetery "a minimum of once per year in late July or August to a height of 8-10." The report also mentioned costs several times. It seems as though there is no intent to step forward with a solid offer of reconciliation by offering to preserve the cemetery. Reconciliation is just not saying sorry. It is also about actions. Regina dropped the ball on this one. The outcry has been fast and furious and the committee has now decided to delay making a recommendation until they hear from other groups. Nice backpedal.
TSN also slipped up recently. They were the feature broadcaster of the March 30 Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers game from Edmonton. The Oilers had dedicated that game to the survivors of Indian Residential Schools and those that played hockey in the schools. The last National Gathering of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada had been in Edmonton and the last day coincided with the game.
The Oilers made a classy move to recognize these survivors and it was a great chance for people across Canada to learn about residential schools. Survivors across the nation turned in to see the show. Hockey greats Stan Hodgson, Freddie Sasakamoose, Eugene Arcand and Willie Littlechild were honoured, as were young hockey players. They even had the national anthem sung in Cree. Well, imagine everyone's dismay when half way through the anthem, they cut away from the presentation of colours and the eagle staff and went back to the studio and their analysts, thus leaving survivors and fans and Canadians who have lots to learn about Indian Residential Schools watching talking heads instead of the public education offered and Willie Littlechild dropping the puck for the opening faceoff. This was an excellent chance to showcase Indian hockey players and the legacy of the residential schools. The outcry has been fast and furious, but the people at TSN have some explaining to do and maybe even some work on their end to help tell the stories of these schools and the people in them. CBC did it, why can't TSN? Time for them to man up.
It was not all bad news out there in wonderland. The TRC gathering in Edmonton was the largest ever and several cities including Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary and Wetaskiwin all declared next year to be a Year of Reconciliation. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford even signed the declaration.
The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations also found a way to keep going forward. After moving around some money and with the Vice Chiefs all taking $15,000 pay cuts, it turns out that less than ten employees were actually laid off.
And to round it off, the paper goes to press as the Prince Albert Grand Council Fine Arts Festival is switching into high gear. The beloved festival has become a showcase for First Nations´ students wishing to display a wide range of artistic talent. Students participate in visual arts, drama, dance, music, literature, and learn hands on skills to enhance their talents. Go to Facebook and check out the videos. The place is packed and people are having a roaring good time at the dancing competitions. The power to engage those young people through the arts is amazing. Good for them. Let's have more of that!