I had the immense honour of being in Ottawa during the final events of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). Being there for those events. Hearing people tell their stories. It was heart breaking and it was incredible. What a privilege to be there for such an historic moment.
As a child, I attended an American-run boarding school so, I didn't learn a lot about Canadian history. In the years since the TRC began, I learned that the Canadian government opened Residential Schools for Indigenous children in the 1880s, with the overall goal to strip these children, many as young as 4 and 5 years old, of their language and culture.
The Church gave white European people like me the justification they wanted to do this through the Doctrine of Discovery.
“Papal Bulls of the 15th century gave Christian explorers the right to claim lands they “discovered” and lay claim to those lands for their Christian Monarchs. Any land that was not inhabited by Christians was available to be “discovered”, claimed, and exploited. If the “pagan” inhabitants could be converted, they might be spared. If not, they could be enslaved or killed. ”
Ever since we’ve done our best to systematically destroy all the things that make Indigenous Peoples a distinct group on this land.
In Ottawa, I heard stories that would make you weep. And I saw people - gracious people. People with different experiences and differing views on the way forward.
And we walked together. We walked together in solidarity, and we walked for conciliation
Imagine where we'd be today if we hadn't tried to eliminate First Nations people and culture from this place. I wonder about this a lot. What if we had taken a different path? More importantly, can we change course now and take that path today?
The truth is we have to. We have to continue to educate ourselves and we have to begin to act on our learning. We, the settlers, for that is what we are. My family has been living in this country for 200 years. I am a settler here. I am not Indigenous to this land. Not 200 years ago and not now. We need to recognize the Treaty Lands and the Unceded Lands that we are a guest on.
We need to pay attention, ask questions, and recognize all the ways that we continue to marginalize Indigenous Peoples today. I urge you to visit the TRC website. Read the report. The information is there for us. We need to take every opportunity that comes across your path to learn more and act. This is our way forward.