National Indigenous Peoples Month (2022)

National Indigenous Peoples Month

“Without truth, justice, and healing, there can be no genuine reconciliation” – Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC 2015, p. 12).

Canadians, in their rush to reconcile, have neglected or avoided the truth (Justice & Carleton 2021).

The truth is that the racist and colonial policies that led to the creation of the residential school system continue to harm Indigenous People today. These harms did not end when the last residential school closed in 1997 – Indigenous children are still being forcibly removed from their families and placed with non-Indigenous families at an alarming rate. The name of the system just changed – foster care has become the “new residential school system” (Wright 2021). In Manitoba, 90% of the children in care are Indigenous although Indigenous children make up only 7% of the nation’s youth (Stefanson, 2020, p. 74). Last year in Alberta alone, 34 Indigenous children died in care (Bratt 2022).

National Indigenous Peoples Month comes one year after ground-penetrating radar detected the remains of 215 Indigenous children buried near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. There was a collective hope that these disclosures would prompt Canadians to recognize that our institutions (e.g. schools, hospitals, workplaces) are intentionally designed to oppress, marginalize and erase Indigenous Peoples and cultures from this land. Instead of coming to terms with the cultural genocide that marks our past and our present, some Canadians have begun to deny basic facts about residential schools. Their goal is to silence Indigenous voices and undermine efforts to bring about systemic change. The truth, and Canadians who are willing to do the hard work to learn the truth, are needed now more than ever.

What can I do?

Join us this June as we feature Indigenous voices, stories and lived experiences. You can also attend events or activities that have been organized to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21^st or to recognize June as National Indigenous Peoples Month, also known as National Indigenous History Month.

What is happening during National Indigenous Peoples Month at BCIT?

Each week, we will share new resources that you can use to expand your knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, cultures, and perspectives. Each week will have a different theme: Week 1: Read, Week 2: Listen, Week 3: Watch, and Week 4: Act. Our goal this month is to create champions of truth.

We also invite you to spend some time working through BCIT’s Indigenous Awareness course More than 8,000 students, faculty, staff and external participants have enrolled in this course and expanded their knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, Colonization and Decolonization. This free course contains three modules that can be completed online at your own pace. If you finish the course, you will receive a digital badge. To register, simply visit this website

If you ever feel uncertain about the next step in your journey to learn the truth and move forward in a good way, BCIT’s Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships team is always here to help. We have five user-friendly Indigenous Guides that will help you get started.

You can also check out BCIT’s Library Guide on Indigenous Resources. This guide includes books by Indigenous authors, articles on contemporary issues facing Indigenous communities and links to archival records such as photos, Treaties and other important documents.

References:

Bratt, T. (2022, April 20). New report details record number of children and youth deaths in Alberta government care. CityNews.

Justice, D. H. & Carleton, S. (2021, August 5). Truth before reconciliation: 8 ways to identify and confront Residential School denialism. The Conversation.

Stefanson, H. (2020, March 31). Manitoba Families: Annual Report 2019-2020. Government of Manitoba.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (“TRC”). (2015). Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Wright, T. (2021, June 4). Foster care is the modern-day residential school system: Inuk MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq. CBC News.

Week 1: Read (June 6 – 10)

Join us this month as we read three books written by First Nation, Métis and Inuit authors.

Thomas King of Cherokee and Greek descent is also known by his pseudonym, Hartley GoodWeather. King is a critically acclaimed author and outspoken activist who has written more than 20 books in wide a range of genres including mysteries, poetry, picture books and non-fiction.

Summary: Deep House is the sixth book in the DreadfulWater mystery series that follows the exploits of Thumps DreadfulWater, a Cherokee ex-cop and photographer who investigates crimes with a “killer dry wit and a penchant for self-deprecating humour” (Strong Nations, n.d.). In this novel, DreadfulWater stumbles onto a body in a deep, perilous canyon and gets pulled into a murder investigation by his friend, the sheriff. You can find other books by Thomas King on the website Fantastic Fiction.

Quote from Thomas King: “I was always a pretty good liar and I think that stood me in good stead as a storyteller” (Globe and Mail, 2020).

References:

Globe and Mail. (2020, September 24). Thomas King says making up stories growing up set the stage for being an author. [Video]. YouTube.

Strong Nations. (n.d.). DreadfulWater Mystery Series. Strong Nations. [Blog Post].

Summary: This is the sequel to the award-winning Marrow Thieves (2017). The earth has been ravaged by natural disasters that have killed millions of people and robbed many of the ability to dream. This book follows Seventeen-year old Frenchie and his found family as they try to navigate this dystopian world in which Indigenous People are being pursued for their bone marrow and capacity to dream.

This novel discusses residential schools. Survivors and their families can access support and referral services by calling the free, 24-hour National Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll-free at 1-800-721-0066.

Quote from the Author: “The world can be tough, can be brutal, can be cruel, but as long as you have community in it, there is always hope. I think that’s true of real life as much as dystopian fiction. Growing up in my community we had each other – good food, music, gatherings, laughter, so I never knew the things we didn’t have, which as it turns out, was quite a lot” (Yao, 2021).

References:

Yao, J. (2021, October 29). Q & A With Cherie Dimaline, Hunting by Stars. We Need Diverse Books.

Summary: The full title of this book is “The Right to be Cold: One Woman’s Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet”. In this memoir, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, from the small Arctic community of Kuujjuaq, Nunavik in northern Quebec, examines “the parallels between safeguarding the Arctic and the survival of Inuit culture” (Penguin Canada, 2015). The author, an environmental and human rights activist, was nominated in 2007 for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work showing how the warming of the Arctic threatens the health, livelihood and human rights of Inuit People.

Quote about the Author: The author’s “personal stories put a cultural face and human voice on climate change, connecting the reader through her passion and heart. She gracefully communicates the ethical imperative that encourages the move from understanding to action” (Steger, 2018).

References:

Penguin Random House Canada (“Penguin Canada”). (n.d.). The Right to be Cold: One Woman’s Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet. Penguin Random House.

Steger, W. (2018). Quote about “The Right to be Cold: One Woman’s Fight to Protect the Arctic and Save the Planet from Climate Change” by Sheila Waa-Cloutier. University of Minnesota Press.

Book clubs can be brave spaces for learning and growing in your journey towards truth and reconciliation.

We invite you to get together with some friends or colleagues and create an Indigenous book club. You can pick a title from our carefully curated booklist, meet as a group once a month or once every season and share your biggest takeaways. You can also check out the books we recommended last year during National Indigenous Peoples Month.

If you are not sure where to start, here are some discussion questions that you can use to kickstart conversation:

What was your favourite and least favourite part of the book and why?
What surprised you most about the book?
How did the book make you feel?
How did the setting affect the story? Do you want to read more books set in this world?
What other characters would have made good narrators and why?
Were there any themes in the book that stood out?
After finishing this book, are you curious to read other books by the same author? Explain your choice.
Was the ending what you expected? If you could re-write the ending, how would you change it?
Has the book changed your understanding of Indigenous Peoples, cultures or worldviews? Explain.
Do you have any unanswered questions that you would like to ask the author?

We have prepared a list of new books that will help you learn more about Indigenous ways of knowing and being. We encourage you to find a title that speaks to you and share it with others.

Non-Fiction

Gehl v Canada: Challenging Sex Discrimination in the Indian Act (2021) by Lynn Gehl (Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe). For more than 30 years, “Lynn Gehl fought against the sex discrimination built into Canada’s Indian Act. This is the story of her challenges and eventual success” (Strong Nations, n.d.)
Rehearsals for Living (2022) by Robyn Maynard (Black Canadian writer) and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (Mississauga Nishnaabeg writer). These two influential activists began writing each other letters during the pandemic lockdown in 2020 and discussed “the intersecting crises of pandemic, police killings, and climate catastrophe” (Penguin Canada, 2022). The book ends with an urgent call to move forward in a good way and build a new world order.
Braided Learning: Illuminating Indigenous Prescence through Art and Story (2022) by Susan D. Dion (Potawatomi-Lenapé). The author “draws on Indigenous knowledge to make sense of a difficult past, decode unjust conditions in the present, and work toward a more equitable future” (University of Chicago Press, 2022).

Fiction

Tainna: The Unseen Ones – Short Stories (2021) by Norma Dunning (Inuk). This collection of short stories are about the Tainna – “the unseen ones” and “modern-day Inuk characters [that] must rely on their wits, artistic talent, senses of humour and spirituality for survival” (Governor General’s Literary Awards, 2021).
Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction (2020) edited by Joshua Whitehead (Anishinaabeg, Oji-Cree). This anthology of Two-Spirit and Queer Indigenous writers invites readers to imagine alternate futures and reminds them that “love is always a reason to live” – (Vancouver Sun quoted in Arsenal Pulp Press, n.d.)

Memoirs

These are the stories: memories of a 60s Scoop Survivor (2022) by Christine Miskonoodinkwe-Smith (Saulteaux from Peguis First Nation). The author discusses her experience as a Sixties Scoop survivor, her time spent in the child welfare system and “her journey towards healing in various stages of her life” (Good Minds, 2021).
An Indian Among Los Indígenas: A Native Travel Memoir (2021) by Ursula Pike (Karuk). The author’s memoir “upends a canon of travel memoirs that has been historically dominated by white writers” and asks readers to reflect on the following: “What does it mean to have experienced the effects of colonialism firsthand, and yet to risk becoming a colonizing force in turn?” (Heyday Books, 2021).

Poetry

Standing in a River of Time (2022) by Jónína Kirton (Red River Métis/Icelandic). Kirton’s collection examines the intergenerational impacts of colonization on a Métis family (Talonbooks, 2021).
Occasionally Petty (2022) by Michelle Lietz (Yaqui, European and Middle Eastern descent). The author’s poems take lyrics from Tom Petty’s songs and uses them “to launch her exploration on themes of nostalgia, adolescence” and identity (Toronto Public Library, 2022).

Children

Amik (2022) written by Sharon King (Potawatomi). This picture book follows the adventures of Amik, a beaver, as he builds his dam. Children get the opportunity to learn words in both English and Anishiaabemowin. Suitable for ages 0-6. (McNally Robinson, 2021).
Giju’s Gift (Adventures of the Pugulatmu’j) (2022) written by Brandon Mitchell (Mi’kmaq) and illustrated by Veronika Barinova and Britt Wilson. Join Mali and her friend Puug, as they go on a hunt for missing treasure and battle an ancient giant. This is the first book in a graphic novel series for readers aged 6-8. (Portage & Main Press, n.d.)

Teens

Ready When You Are (2022) by Gary Lonesborough (Yuin). This story follows two teen boys as they become friends and fall in love over the course of a hot summer. Perfect for 2SLGBTQ+ teens (Scholastic, 2022).
Four Faces of the Moon (2021) written by Amanda Strong (Métis) and foreword by Sherry Farrell Racette (Métis, Anishinaabeg, Algonquin, Timiskaming First Nation). In this spell-binding book, Spotted Fawn, guided by her ancestors, travels though time to make sense of her family history and reconnect to her people and her land (Vancouver Public Library, 2021).

Week 2: Listen (June 13-17)

“I see you. I hear you. And I believe you.” – Marie Wilson, Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner

This week we are excited to spotlight podcasts by Indigenous creators and interviews with influential Indigenous leaders, activists, artists, educators, Elders and Survivors.

We encourage you to listen deeply and respectfully to these First Nations, Métis and Inuit People as they share their truths and speak to issues facing Indigenous communities across these lands we now call Canada.

References:

The Quad. (2016, October 27). 7 Thought-Provoking Quotes on Reconciliation from Marie Wilson. University of Alberta. [Digital Publication].

All of the featured podcasts are available for download on the CBC Listen and Apple Podcast apps.

Kuper Island is hosted by investigative journalist Duncan McCue. McCue is Anishinaabe and a member of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation.

This 8-part series tells the stories of students who attended the notorious Kuper Island Residential School – three students who survived and one who never made it home. This podcast challenges listeners to acknowledge that the deaths of Indigenous children at residential schools are not a thing of the past – they are wounds of the present that are causing ongoing intergenerational trauma and impacting countless Indigenous lives. This podcast is also available for download on Spotify.

Smoke Break is hosted by three Inuk men – Bernard Choquette, Simeonie Kisa-Knickelbein and MisterLee Cloutier-Ellsworth – who want to share what it is like to live in the Arctic today. This podcast is conversational in tone but the hosts are not afraid to be tackle serious issues, such as substandard housing in the North, with a strong dose of Inuit humour.

Missing and Murdered: Finding Cleo is hosted by investigative reporter Connie Walker. Walker is a Cree woman from the Okanese First Nation.

The numbers of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQ+ people who have gone missing and been murdered in Canada are staggering. In this podcast, Walker brings those numbers to life by recounting the real-life stories of Alberta Williams and Cleo Nicotine Semaganis and speaking to their family and friends who have sought justice for decades. Walker also examines the Sixties Scoop – the practice of forcibly removing or ‘scooping’ Indigenous children from their homes and placing them into foster care or adopting them out to non-Indigenous families. The Sixties Scoop took place between the 1950s and 1980s but its negative impacts are still being felt today especially with the continued overrepresentation of Indigenous children in care.

While listening to these podcasts, we encourage you to read the 231 Calls for Justice released by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in 2019 and take action to address both the outcomes and root causes of the violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQ+ people (Feinstein & Pearce 2015).

References:

Feinstein, P. & Pearce, M. (2015, February 26). Violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada: Reviews of reports and recommendations – Executive Summary. Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (“LEAF”). [Report].

Nunatsiaq News. (2021, January 23). New Podcast shines light on life in the Arctic. [Online news article].

The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund has made a series of interviews with Survivors, Elders and notable Indigenous leaders, activists, educators and musicians available on their website.

You can access the full-length interviews with these influential Indigenous voices by clicking on their names below.

Heather Bear is a Survivor and day school scholar, a member of the Ochapowace First Nation and the Fourth Vice Chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations. She is a fierce advocate of Treaty Rights especially Treaty Rights to education.

Theresa Hall is a Survivor, an Elder, a proud Cree woman born in Attawapiskat First Nation and a member of the Council of Elders and Youth.

Tanya Talaga is Ojibwe and has roots in Fort William First Nation. She is a journalist and award-winning author of two non-fiction books – Seven Fallen Feathers (2017) and All Our Relations: Finding a Path Forward (2018). Seven Fallen Feathers follows the lives and deaths of seven Indigenous teens who died while attending high school in Thunder Bay far from their homes and All Our Relations tackles the epidemic of child and youth suicide in Indigenous communities. Both of Talaga’s books are available in BCIT’s Library and in other local libraries including the Burnaby and Vancouver Public Libraries.

Phyllis Webstad was born on Dog Creek Reserve and she is from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation. She is a third-generation residential school Survivor and her story inspired Orange Shirt Day.

Peter Sackaney is a Cree songwriter and musician, a Survivor and former counsellor.

Harriet Visitor is the niece of the Chanie Wenjack and her family is from Ogoki Post on the Marten Falls Reserve. She is an experienced educator and community leader who assisted with the development of Secret Path lesson plans that teachers can use to discuss residential schools in classrooms ranging from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Secret Path (2016) is a ten-song album by Gord Downie and a graphic novel by Jeff Lemire that recounts the story of Chanie Wenjack, a twelve-year old boy who died while trying to run away from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School.

Elder Claudette Commanda is Algonquin Anishinaabe from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, the proud mother of four children and grandmother to 10 grandchildren and a professor at the University of Ottawa. Claudette graduated from the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law in 1997. She is also the Executive Director of the First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres, “a national organization which protects and promotes First Nations culture, languages and Traditional [K]nowledge” (FNIGC, n.d.).

We invite you to reflect on the knowledge and lived experiences shared by these powerful speakers. Identify three specific actions that you will take to move us closer as a nation towards truth. For example, you could review the mentoring practices at your workplace or school to ensure that they are aligned with B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

References:

First Nations Information Governance Centre (“FNIGC”). (n.d.). Claudette Commanda. FNIGC – Our Board of Directors. [Blog Post].

Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund. (2021, June 30). A Day to Listen: Amplifying Indigenous Voices. Downie Wenjack. [Blog Post].

Week 3: Watch (June 20 – 24)

This week we are thrilled to highlight documentaries, short films and animated shorts made by Indigenous artists, sculptures and songs by Coast Salish carvers and Inuit musicians, and interviews with Troy Bird and Dr. Pamela Palmater about the over-representation of Indigenous people in foster care and in prisons.

Each person shares their own truth in their own way. We hope that you approach these videos with a good heart and in a good way. Bring your curiosity and leave your judgment behind.

All the documentaries, films and videos featured this week are freely accessible .

Documentaries

Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy (2021)

This documentary, by filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, examines the overdose epidemic in Kainai First Nation and collaborative efforts to move towards harm reduction (2 hours and 4 minutes).

Jordan River Anderson – The Messenger (2019)

Jordan River Anderson, from Norway House Cree Nation, was born in 1999 with multiple disabilities (FNCFCS n.d.). This hour-long film follows his family’s fight to get the health care he needed at home. Unfortunately, Jordan died in hospital at the age of five while federal and provincial governments continued to fight over who should cover the cost of Jordan’s at-home care.

Jordan’s death inspired the creation of the child-first principle called “Jordan’s Principle” and a national push for all levels of government to respect Indigenous children’s human rights. You can learn more about Jordan’s Principle on the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society’s website.

This documentary is by critically acclaimed filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin whose films include Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993) and Our People Will Be Healed” (2017).

References:

First Nations Child & Family Caring Society (“FNCFCS”). (n.d.). Honouring Jordan River Anderson. First Nations Child & Family Caring Society. [Website].

Evanniup Kilautinga (Evan’s Drum) (2021)

This short film by Ossie Michelin is available in English and Inuktitut (14 minutes). The film follows seven-year old Evan and his mother, Amy, as they pursue his passion for traditional Inuit drum dancing.

Searching for the Unmarked Graves of Indigenous Children (2021)

This video was produced by Nilo Tabrizy for the New York Times (12 minutes and 26 seconds). This short film follows a team of archaeologists as they work with the Muskowekwan First Nation to search for unmarked graves near the Muscowequan Indian Residential School in Lestock, Saskatchewan.

Survivors and their families can contact the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free at 1-800-721-0066 or the 24-hour Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 for emotional support or assistance.

Woman Dress (2019)

Woman Dress, a 6-minute film by Thirza Cuthand, dramatizes a Cuthand family oral story about a Two Spirit person named Woman Dress who lived on the Plains before first contact with Europeans and the introduction of restrictive European ideas about gender and sexual orientation.

The acronym “2SLGBTQ+” stands for people who identify as Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Queer. The “+” sign refers to additional sexual orientations and gender identities and includes people who identify as Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual and more. The term “Two Spirit” is used in some Indigenous communities to refer to a person’s cultural, spiritual, sexual and gender identity (PHSA, n.d.). Alternatively, some Indigenous people prefer to identify as “Indigequeer” or “Indigiqueer”.

To learn more about the term Two Spirit, its complicated history, and resources that are available for Indigenous people who identify as Two Spirit, check out the BC Provincial Health Services Authority website.

Indigenous and non-Indigenous kids, teens and youth who identify as 2SLGBTQ+ can call the toll free Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or text 686868 to access support and e-mental health services. These services are available 24/7.

References:

Trans Care BC: Provincial Health Services Authority (“PHSA”). (n.d.). Two-Spirit. Provincial Health Services Authority. [Website].

Three Thousand (2017)

In this short film, Inuk artist Asinnajaq splices archival newsreels, photographs and work by other Indigenous filmmakers into an original animation that challenges the cinematic representation of Inuit People. Asinnajaq, also known as Isabella Rose Rowan-Weetaluktuk, reimagines the present, past and future of Inuit people in a hopeful and radiant new light (NFB, n.d.). This 14-minute animation is available in both English and Inuktitut.

I Like Girls (2016)

This 8-minute film is directed by Diane Obomsawin, an animator and author of Abenaki descent. I Like Girls is the film adaptation of the director’s graphic novel called On Loving Women (2014). It follows the journey of four young women as they discover their attraction to other women and grapple with their early, awkward attempts at love.

References:

National Film Board of Canada (“NFB”). (n.d.). Three Thousand: Synopsis. The National Film Board of Canada. [Website].

Art at Home Live – Christopher & Chrystal Sparrow

The Vancouver Art Gallery commissioned Indigenous artists to create works of art that could hold water and be exhibited as part of Yoko Ono’s Water Event. This video features interviews with two of these artists – Christopher Sparrow and Chrystal Sparrow. Both artists are experienced carvers from the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nation and they worked collaboratively to create a sculpture entitled “Mother Earth and the Salish Sea (Humpback Whale)” (2021) for the Yoko Ono Exhibition.

Christopher and Chrystal were both trained by their late father, Irving Sparrow, who was a master carver, and they work with many different mediums including yellow cedar, red cedar, metal, leather and acrylics. The running time for this video is 1 hour and 5 minutes.

Elisapie – Inuk Singer

Elisapie, also known as Elisapie Isaac, is a critically acclaimed Inuk singer-songwriter, film director and activist. She was born in Salluit to an Inuit mother and a Newfoundland father but was adopted at birth by an Inuit family. Elisapie weaves Inuktitut, French and English into powerful, poetic rock ballads that shine light on issues faced by Indigenous women across the lands we now call Canada.

Elisapie’s unique, genre-bending style is on full display in her videos for “Arnaq”, a song from her most recent album entitled The Ballad of the Runaway Girl (2018), and in her cover of Willie Thrasher’s classic song “Wolves Don’t Live by the Rules” that features Joe Grass.

Willie Thrasher, an Inuit singer-songwriter and residential school Survivor, released the song “Wolves Don’t Live by the Rules” as part of his 1981 album entitled “Spirit Child”. You can purchase Elisapie’s music on her website and music by Willie Thrasher on Bandcamp, an online platform that allows artists to sell their music and receive a greater share of their royalties than they would receive on other, larger music distribution platforms like ITunes.

Aging Out (2018)

In January 2022, the federal government agreed to compensate Indigenous children who had been denied access to essential services (e.g. food, shelter, clothing) and forced into the child welfare system. The agreement, if approved by the courts, would see $20 billion dollars set aside to compensate children and their families, and an additional $20 billion dollars to fund the reform of on-reserve child welfare services. More than 200,000 Indigenous children and youth could be eligible for compensation (Stefanovich et. al., 2022).

Statistics can be easy to ignore. Real-life experiences, told by the people who have lived them, are harder to tune out.

This month we invite you to listen to the story of Troy Bird, a young First Nations man who aged out of care in 2018. Troy was interviewed by CBC in March 2018 (8 minutes and 13 seconds).

Indigenous Over-Incarceration (2018)

Indigenous women make up nearly 50% of all women in federal prisons even though they account for less than 5% of the total female population in Canada (OCI 2021).

Why? In short, racism and colonialism are to blame.

Join Dr. Pamela Palmater, the Chair in Indigenous Governance at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly known as Ryerson University), and Howard Sapers, who served as Ontario’s Independent Advisor on Corrections Reform, as they discuss this ongoing injustice with Steve Paikin (23 minutes and 28 seconds). Dr. Palmater is a Mi’kmaq lawyer and member of the Eel River Bar First Nation in northern New Brunswick.

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada called on all levels of government to eliminate the over-representation of Indigenous people in prison (Call to Action #30).

If you want to transform the legal system and help end the over-incarceration of Indigenous women, reach out to your elected representative and encourage them to make this Call to Action a priority. You can also learn more about potential solutions by reading the BC First Nations Justice Strategy that was prepared by the BC First Nations Justice Council in 2020.

References:

Office of the Correctional Investigator (“OIC”). (2021, December 17). Proportion of Indigenous Women in Federal Custody Nears 50%. Office of the Correctional Investigator. [Website].

Stefanovich, O. & Boisvert, N. (Stefanovich et. al). (2022, January 4). Ottawa releases early details of landmark $40B First Nations child welfare agreement. CBC News: Politics. [Website].

Week 4: Act (June 27 – June 30)

Thank you for joining us during National Indigenous Peoples Month. We hope that you have you have enjoyed reading books by Indigenous authors, listening to podcasts by Indigenous journalists and watching documentaries by Indigenous filmmakers.

This week we will be focusing on specific actions that you can take to position yourself as an authentic ally who works in partnership with Indigenous peoples.

The month of June is drawing to a close, but we encourage you to keep learning about the true history of Canada, dismantling colonial policies and practices and recognizing not only the trauma experienced by Indigenous peoples but also their “infinite capacity for joy” and humour (Robinson, 2022).

References:

Robinson, E. (2022, June 21). Break bread, laugh and learn: How to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day. CBC Radio: Unreserved.

It has been three years since the BC Provincial Government passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act otherwise known as “DRIPA”. This law requires the government to ensure that all other provincial laws and regulations respect the rights of Indigenous peoples. Since anti-Indigenous racism and discrimination has been built into our legal system, it is necessary to change our laws to remove these biases and make our society more inclusive and just. Over the past three years, only one section of one law has been changed (Simmons, 2021). What is the reason for this inaction?

On March 30, 2022, the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation released its first Action Plan for 2022 – 2027 for implementing the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Unfortunately, the language used in the Action Plan is fairly vague – “many of the actions lack concreteness and read like plans to create plans” instead of specific deliverables that have firm deadlines (Moses, 2022). For example, the government does not explain how it plans to review the province’s more than 5,000 laws and remove or change any sections that prevent Indigenous Peoples from freely exercising their constitutionally-protected rights.

The provincial government should be actively negotiating land and resource rights with First Nations, Métis and Inuit People but instead they are approving mineral tenure claims on Gitxaala territory before obtained the free, prior and informed consent of the Gitxaala Nation (Simmons, 2021).

Some private companies have displayed leadership in the face of government inaction. For example, Skeena Resources has worked with local First Nations to develop a “reverse permitting system, where any ideas or plans are first presented to the Nation and agreed upon” before the company applies to the province with permits (Simmons, 2021). This is a good first step but if we are serious about respecting Indigenous sovereignty, Indigenous Nations should be the governing bodies that grant permits for any projects carried out on Indigenous land.

We urge you to read the Action Plan and reach out to your elected officials to make it clear that you expect more. Indigenous People are facing major threats to their survival and way of life from climate emergencies to boil water advisories, housing shortages, discrimination in the health care, foster care and criminal justice systems, and unchecked violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQ+ people (Simmons, 2021). Implementing Indigenous rights, making them a reality requires a radical shift in how we think and act.

Tweet, email, call or write your Member of the Legislative Assembly (“MLA”) and encourage them to create specific timelines for the Action Plan and establish firm consequences for the government if it fails to complete the proposed actions over the next five years. You can find out the name your MLA and their contact information by searching for your community in this A to Z database.

References:

Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation (“MIRR”). (2022, March 30). Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan: 2022-2027. Government of British Columbia.

Moses, N. (2022, May 2). BC Releases its first action plan under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. JFK Law.

Simmons, M. (2021, December 13). Two years after B.C. passed its landmark Indigenous Rights act, has anything changed? The Narwhal.

One of the most effective things you can do as any ally is to challenge anti-Indigenous racism when it happens. For instance, if a colleague in a meeting criticizes someone for “going off the res” speak up and let them know that this phrase is inappropriate given its racist origin. Encourage your colleague to use a different phrase to convey their message such as saying “we are going off on a tangent”.

Explain why the phrase is offensive. “Res” is short for reserves. For more than 300 years, colonizers have forced Indigenous people to live on tiny tracts of poor-quality land or reserves that represent an incredibly small fraction of their traditional ancestral territory. For example, “all of Ontario is First Nations’ traditional territory, [but] reserves make up less than 1 per cent of the province’s total land area” (Hele, 2022). Today, many Indigenous people have to leave their remote and/or rural reserves to access health care, education, employment and more. It is not a choice to leave the reserve, to “go off the res” – it is a function of systemic racism and exclusion (Ford, 2020).

It is emotionally and spiritually exhausting to face these kinds of racists statements, these microaggressions, on a daily basis. We encourage you to educate your colleagues, friends and family about the harmful impact racist phrases and behaviours can have on Indigenous people. Once people know better, they often do better.

References:

Ford, A. S. (2020, June 4). Phrases we should work to eliminate in the rehearsal room. MinnesotaPlaylist.com.

Hele, K. S. (2022, March 27). Reserves in Ontario. The Canadian Encyclopedia.

Most people are likely familiar with the concept of ‘calling people out’. At its core, it involves naming and shaming people for their racist words or actions. But punitive measures like calling people out are rarely effective at changing peoples’ behaviour in the long run. People who are called out often get defensive and shut down – it can impair their ability to listen and learn.

Many Indigenous cultures value relationality, the idea that all living creatures are connected, that we are all in a relationship with one another. Dr. Sharon Hobenshield explains that ‘calling people in’ is an invitation to be and stay in relationship with another, to be accountable to each other for our mistakes and to take responsibility for each other’s learning (Hobenshield, 2021).

Calling people in is a kinder, more compassionate approach that works best when the person with the problematic behaviour may lack information or context but is open to listening and growing.

How does calling people in work? We will start with a hypothetical situation. A colleague of yours, a newcomer to Canada, uses the racial slur word “sq**w” in a meeting. You know that immigrants often learn very little about Indigenous peoples or cultures before they come to Canada. So it might be appropriate to try calling them in before calling them out. In this scenario, you could kindly explain to your colleague why that word is dehumanizing and inappropriate to use and direct them to some more respectful terminology. Your colleague may not know the historical origin on this word or the harmful impact it can have because learning about Indigenous Peoples and the true history of Canada is not an immigration requirement. If your colleague is receptive to this information, then calling them in was the right choice. People are human, they make mistakes and unlearning offensive words and behaviour is a collective action that we as a nation must undertake.

There will still be times when calling people out is required because some people will refuse to listen, reflect on their behaviour and change. But whenever possible, we invite you to consider ‘calling people in’ instead of ‘calling people out’.

References:

Hobenshield, S. (2021, November 26). Gifting and Reciprocity [Symposium presentation]. (BC Collaborative for Social Infrastructure Symposium on Gifting and Reciprocity: Indigenous Perspectives on concept gifting as it relates to post-secondary environments), Burnaby, BC, Canada.

National Indigenous Peoples Month (2022)