Reconciliation

[Hondaracer]

Thoughts?

What Is Reconciliation

For over 100 years, Aboriginal children were removed from their families and sent to institutions called residential schools. The government-funded, church-run schools were located across Canada and established with the purpose to eliminate parental involvement in the spiritual, cultural and intellectual development of Aboriginal children. The last residential schools closed in the mid-1990s.

During this chapter in Canadian history, more than 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children were forced to attend these schools some of which were hundreds of miles from their home. The cumulative impact of residential schools is a legacy of unresolved trauma passed from generation to generation and has had a profound effect on the relationship between Aboriginal peoples and other Canadians.

Collective efforts from all peoples are necessary to revitalize the relationship between Aboriginal peoples and Canadian society – reconciliation is the goal. It is a goal that will take the commitment of multiple generations but when it is achieved, when we have reconciliation - it will make for a better, stronger Canada.

[Jmac]

Pretty obvious where this thread is going to go.

[underscore]

Collective efforts from all peoples are necessary to revitalize the relationship between Aboriginal peoples and Canadian society – reconciliation is the goal. It is a goal that will take the commitment of multiple generations but when it is achieved, when we have reconciliation - it will make for a better, stronger Canada.

What does that even mean? What do they want to be done, and who will decide when things have been reconciled?

[68style]

I for one am waiting for someone to step up and campaign for one of the greatest injustices this world has EVER seen wherein mass genocide was carried out when, under the guise of "natural selection", Mother Nature decided to favour warm-blooded mammals and the entire planet acted as if cold-blooded dinosaurs were somehow lesser due to their race. Who is going to come to their aid and arrange for that debt to be paid for all the mammal privilege that existed during those dark days?

[320icar]

That quote talks a lot and says absolutely nothing

[welfare]

Originally Posted by underscore

What does that even mean? What do they want to be done, and who will decide when things have been reconciled?

I believe it means in order to continue the "government legislated healing process", it's going to cost many more billions of dollars.

It appears the $3b or so didn't do a whole lot.

[heisenberg]

i personally think the past is the past and we should learn from it.

being a recent highschool grad in east van, first nations had their own classes together every other day.
what i find troubling about this is, it creates cliques and groupings of first nations.
they don't have the opportunity to get into this world that is vastly changing and adapt to people around them.
this grouping effect causes them to be closer than ever, which occasionally results in organized crime.

im all for them to learn about their culture and shit tho, but having them attend special classes isn't the way to do it.

i think the only way we'll repair the broken relationship with first nations is to just kinda forget about it. teach it in history still, but to move forward in a healthy way, it might not hurt for forget a couple things

[welfare]

It's almost as if emphasizing past problems tends to promote division and isolation. Now where have we seen that before?

[Manic!]

Originally Posted by welfare

It's almost as if emphasizing past problems tends to promote division and isolation. Now where have we seen that before?

In the south where rednecks keep bringing up the past by waving the confederate flag and fighting to keep statues of slave owners up.

[ScizzMoney]

I'm mostly native with Scottish, Irish, Chinese, Mexican blood. My mother and aunties were taken to residential schools as kids. My father was lucky enough to have a father who was the chief of our band. So he was able to stay in the town he grew up in and went to public school. When I was in school I didn't participate in any native only functions and I don't think they help as Heisenberg stated. I think it only promotes more seclusion and division. My mom thinks just informing youth of what actually happened would be enough.

What should be done is have complete transparency of what bands do with funds they receive. And I think the provincial governments should force bands to spend money to provide good drinking water to every home or at least plan the reserves better (Not sure if many of you have been through reserves but their planning isn't exactly cost effective as far as sewage piping and electricity goes). One other thing, I think sex education and safe sex should be taught the youth. The amount of cousins I have that have over 4 children and no real way to support them is truly sad.

[Infiniti]

Originally Posted by heisenberg

i think the only way we'll repair the broken relationship with first nations is to just kinda forget about it. teach it in history still, but to move forward in a healthy way, it might not hurt for forget a couple things

I'm sorry, but this isn't something you just sweep under a rug and call a day. In addition to historical injustices, present day injustices against First Nations communities continue to occur, especially amongst those situated outside of urban centres of the country. Access to education, adequate housing, child welfare and drinking water are just a few...(this is true to varying degrees even for those individuals who live in urban settings). As such, in order to properly address the situation, Canadians need to come to terms with the fact that yes, it will cost us money, and that the average Canadian will have to engage with the topic beyond overly simplistic narratives and stereotypes in order to properly inform future policy debates surrounding this matter.

On the other hand, I agree with ScizzMoney in the sense that many members of First Nations leadership are guilty of ineffective governance (corruption, inappropriate policy planning...) And, this has been to the detriment of their communities. Thus, the blame can be doled out in various ways, but it is the government that creates policy and is responsible for the well-being of its citizens.

[yray]

reconciliation for chinarmen

white folk drive them out with head tax

Chinese folk drive white folk out with high property taxes

[murd0c]

Normally I would agree the past is the past but in this case a lot of these people that this happened to are still alive today. On top of that there was a lot of sexual abuse which we have been hearing in the news also. Sadly the government should pay because what they did was wrong and thankfully we have learned from it but it doesn’t change the fact of what happened to so many people.

[underscore]

Originally Posted by ScizzMoney

What should be done is have complete transparency of what bands do with funds they receive. And I think the provincial governments should force bands to spend money to provide good drinking water to every home or at least plan the reserves better (Not sure if many of you have been through reserves but their planning isn't exactly cost effective as far as sewage piping and electricity goes).

What they really need to do is supply or require some kind of financial advisory when giving funds. I'm sure most bands do their best but unless they're used to dealing with those sorts of funds it usually ends up not getting used properly and then it's all gone. It has been shown time and time again that just giving people money to do whatever with does not work.

[welfare]

From what I understand, The Harper government enacted the transparency act. Not all band leaders followed the rules of disclosing where funds were going, so, as in agreement with the act, funding was stopped.
Then Trudeau came in and basically said well forget the transparency act and decided to just continue doling out the funds.
Now they're looking for ways to "impose" transparency without being "offensive".


I'm not saying sweep it under the rug. I'm saying money isn't going to fix what happened.

And if they're going to throw money at this, instead of marginalizing an entire group of people, maybe they should attempt to repair the areas that really need it. There are reserves where people are ripping out the walls of their homes to burn and keep warm. Droves of youth committing to suicide pacts. Rampant substance abuse.
These people are literally living in third world conditions.

Billions spent so far, and the areas that need it most haven't changed much. Meanwhile, many that didn't need it have gotten quite wealthy.

[CorneringArtist]

Originally Posted by underscore

What they really need to do is supply or require some kind of financial advisory when giving funds. I'm sure most bands do their best but unless they're used to dealing with those sorts of funds it usually ends up not getting used properly and then it's all gone. It has been shown time and time again that just giving people money to do whatever with does not work.

The worst case is the horror stories of band leaders basically funneling the money into their own coffers, buying ATV's and renovating their mansions built on those funds, while the rest of the reserve lives in basically third world poverty. Transparency in where funding is directed along with approving the spending plan is what's also needed.

[GS8]

Collective efforts from all peoples are necessary to revitalize the relationship between Aboriginal peoples and Canadian society – reconciliation is the goal. It is a goal that will take the commitment of multiple generations but when it is achieved, when we have reconciliation - it will make for a better, stronger Canada.

What a warm and fuzzy blanket statement

[Bouncing Bettys]

Recently, Canadians discussed what they can do for reconciliation on CBC's Unreserved. How are you putting reconciliation into action? - CBC News - Latest Canada, World, Entertainment and Business News
Yikes.

[Hondaracer]

That initial quote was taken right from the front page of the truth and reconciliation committee of Canada’s website. Similar branch websites and 3rd party sites also summarize similarily.

From all I’ve read and heard I think a large problem is that beyond that general statement regarding residential schools, there doesn’t seem to be a goal or end point to the process.

First Nations are using the term reconciliation for virtually any cause they see fit and then spin it into a whining dialogue as to how it isn’t working.

Prime examples are the fish farms on Vancouver island (which personally I oppose as well) the Jumbo glacier ski resort in eastern BC, and site C dam.

Multiple interviews I’ve heard regarding both projects where First Nations oppose, they say things like “by not recognizing our spiritual connection to the jumbo glacier, this is setting back the process of reconciliation”

As with site C, the parties involved (for the most part) have exhausted every legal avenue available and have done as much due diligence as necessary to legally move forward with their projects, with the jumbo ski resort, even having it brought to the Supreme Court where it was ruled as a valid project. However, once the ruling came down the chiefs involved immediately bring up reconciliation as the number one point of opposition.

I’m just really wondering to what end does this all lead to?

[welfare]

Let me put it this way; the whole situation is fucked six ways from Sunday.

And considering how liberal/progressive this country has become. It's likely to get much worse. For everybody. Especially first nations