Our Shared History

As sad as it is, the mass grave site in Kamloops is not shocking. One more reminder of a government complicit in abuse & neglect. Colonization: progress with a side order of pain.

While many in history have been harmed, prioritizing the grief of one over another is senseless. Residential ‘schools’, run by Christian churches with great intent, caused far reaching harm. “Let it go, it happened in the past”, simply indicates a lack of understanding. Returning home if lucky, were Indigenous children unable to communicate with their families, nor share what they experienced. Trauma begets trauma. Children are born into that darkness, and then grandchildren, and so on, and the cycle continues.

The forgotten people.

Retribution, a formal apology by Prime Minister Harper in 2008, and a revised Social Studies curriculum, do little to negate inherent government mistreatment. Weeds, even those cut at the root, still fester & grow. And lowering flags across the nation for 9 days, to score political points, is not enough.

How many states of emergency have to be declared?

Unprecedented youth suicide, disproportionate violence, poor housing, lack of clean water, & substance abuse plague these communities -- a direct result of a weak infrastructure, and lack of attention, spearheaded and kept alive by the state.

Born and raised in one such community, the difference is stark between Moose Factory and other parts of the country. My parents decided to leave when we were teens.

Our own Minister of Infrastructure & Communities, Catherine McKenna posted how much there is “to love about Ottawa — including our tap water! Did you know it's rated among the best in the world...”

Umm, not everyone in Canada has this wonderful water.

So to say this recent discovery is shocking, well no, it isn’t.

Only when Indigenous rights matter, can a solution come about -- a chance to support & care for their own communities, determine their governments using their culture & laws, and equity -- when all who make this country home, recent or not, are valued.

So while we mourn the losses, let’s also break patterns established long ago.

Nothing changes if nothing changes.