The road to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in Canada remains a long one, says Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, who estimates it will take 40 years at the current pace to achieve the more than 90 calls to action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report.
It has been a process of two steps forward and one step back over the past year, Archibald said in an interview ahead of FridayB次元官网网址檚 National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
The day was declared last year after hundreds of potential unmarked burial sites of Indigenous children were found by First Nations near former residential schools, including by the TkB次元官网网址檈ml煤ps te Secwepemc nation in Kamloops and SaskatchewanB次元官网网址檚 Cowessess First Nation.
The national chief was in Regina Thursday along with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon for a reconciliation ceremony at Mosaic Stadium and co-hosted by Chief Cadmus Delorme of the Cowessess.
B次元官网网址淎t that rate weB次元官网网址檙e going with the number of calls to action that have been actually implemented, itB次元官网网址檚 going to take 40 years to complete all the calls to action,B次元官网网址� she said in an interview.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 how slow the process has been,B次元官网网址� said Archibald. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 kind of disheartening that weB次元官网网址檙e not moving faster. The Canadian government and all the partners that are mentioned in these calls to action are not moving as quickly as they could be.B次元官网网址�
Making progress on the 94 calls to action is a subject of the federal governmentB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渞elentless commitmentB次元官网网址� on reconciliation, Marc Miller, federal Crown-Indigenous relations minister, said Thursday in an interview.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 ongoing,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 incomplete. IB次元官网网址檓 not satisfied. I donB次元官网网址檛 think anyone is.B次元官网网址�
Miller said many of the calls to action involve long-term investments, which the government is determined to achieve.
B次元官网网址淭his isnB次元官网网址檛 an operation of ticking off boxes,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t has to have the relentless commitment of our government, particularly in light of the horrific discoveries in and around Kamloops, and really the impact that had on all Canadians, shocking their conscience and a re-examination of what it means to be Canadian.B次元官网网址�
Miller said heB次元官网网址檚 heard others beyond Archibald say the process to achieve the calls to action could take many years, but many of the issues canB次元官网网址檛 be resolved in short periods of time.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e heard from some people doing searches, for example, that it could take up to 10 years to get a full picture of what it is in and around those unmarked graves,B次元官网网址� he said.
The 4,000-page report released in 2015 by the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission detailed harsh mistreatment at residential schools, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children, and at least 4,100 deaths at the institutions.
Archibald said there have been positive reconciliation steps this past year, but B次元官网网址渨eB次元官网网址檝e had a couple of real steps backwards in relation to reconciliation.B次元官网网址�
She cited court cases over Indigenous rights to self-determination, self-government and jurisdiction over their children as examples of backtracking,but the recent establishment of an independent National Council on Truth and Reconciliation and the raising of the SurvivorsB次元官网网址� Flag on Parliament Hill were steps forward.
Archibald said the PopeB次元官网网址檚 visit to Canada last summer and his apology to residential school survivors B次元官网网址渨as very much appreciated by some survivors.B次元官网网址�
But the progress toward addressing many of the calls to action remains slow, she said.
B次元官网网址淭he real, deeper issues under the TRCB次元官网网址檚 report have yet to be fulfilled. So, itB次元官网网址檚 as though governments are trying to find the, I guess, easiest to implement,B次元官网网址� said Archibald. B次元官网网址淚 suppose it makes sense, but you know when it comes to systemic changes we need in Canada, we need those deeper issues looked at. We need some of the issues around justice and policing, all of those things to be actioned as well.B次元官网网址�
Organizations monitoring reconciliation in Canada, including the completion of the 94 calls to action, report the resolution of up to 12 of the commissionB次元官网网址檚 calls.
Indigenous Watchdog, a federally registered non-profit dedicated to monitoring and reporting on how reconciliation is advancing on the critical issues affecting the Indigenous world, reported 12 completed actions in August.
The group also reported 35 per cent of the 94 calls to action have not been started or are currently stalled.
In June 2021, the First Nations-led Yellowhead Institute reported nine completed calls to action, including the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls inquiry and federal acknowledgment of Indigenous language rights.
Archibald said the National Truth and Reconciliation Day is a time for Canadians to pause and consider the history and reality of residential schools.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really an opportunity for reflection,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a call to action for non-Indigenous peoples to do some basic things like get a copy of the summary of the TRC calls to action. ItB次元官网网址檚 really worth it for non-Indigenous people to read that particular handout pamphlet.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址擠irk Meissner, The Canadian Press
