Image credit: Canadian Press

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Canadians are getting the message about Truth and Reconciliation

Oct 1, 2022 | 8:08 AM

ACTION, NOT JUST WORDS. We hear that a lot these days in any discussion of reconciliation, and it undoubtedly was spoken many times yesterday, for it was National Truth and Reconciliation Day.

The event received a lot more attention in the media than the first time it was marked last year. On radio and TV and newspapers, it was covered from every angle.

Across the country ceremonies were held, speeches were given, and pleas made not to make truth and reconciliation a one-day-a-year proposition. Calls to action are a good thing, for they look to the future. It’s also good to take stock of where we’ve been in order to figure out where we’re going.

Fact is, we aren’t there yet, but we’re making progress. Two and a half years ago, I recapped some of that progress. Let’s look at where we were at then, and where we’re at now. In 2020, we had gone through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and had adopted the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Rights.

Here in B.C., UNDRIP became law. Acknowledging the traditional territory of First Nations became a common beginning to public meetings. And whenever a new building, road or a new event is opened, indigenous drummers and elders are almost always asked to be there with an opening prayer.

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Community to Community meetings are held annually between municipal and Band leaders to discuss mutual interests and projects.

The changing of names of public buildings, schools, parks and geographic landmarks was well underway, either in acknowledgement of indigenous roots or because of concerns that the person they were originally named for were connected to our colonial past.

Likewise, statues of historical figures no longer deemed admirable were being removed. The revival of indigenous languages was also underway.

Indigenous history is now part of school and university curricula. By law, consultation with affected First Nations is required for just about any big project that impacts the environment and indigenous people.

In 2020, indigenous involvement in resource development was increasing. Infrastructure on reserves, such as water systems, was improving, though, yes, there’s still much to do. And, as I pointed out back then, indigenous art and music was being recognized and seen and heard, with airports and other public places featuring it.

“Two prime ministers and two B.C. premiers have offered official apologies for historical wrongs and perceived wrongs,” I wrote. Our very language had changed. “Indian” and even “aboriginal” had been replaced with “indigenous.” So where are we now?

We have an indigenous Governor-General in Mary Simon. We have an indigenous Supreme Court justice in Michelle O’Bonsawin. Both of those appointments are big deals. Pope Francis has apologized, several times, in a span of several days during a cross-Canada tour. Our immersion in indigenous art and culture continues to deepen.

CBC Radio has several programs about it. At a local level, there are events like the indigenous film festival. The City of Kamloops recently won an award for its efforts promoting indigenous relations, and the City and Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc jointly won a national collaboration award.

Yesterday, the City raised the TteS flag in front of City Hall, where it will fly permanently. Of course, the biggest event of the past two years was the “215” discovery at the Kamloops residential school. As traumatic as it is, it set off a massive re-examination of where we’re at on truth and reconciliation, with residential schools front and centre.

The biggest difference, as a result, is that the issue of truth and reconciliation is now ingrained in Canadians. It has become a part of everyday life and thought. A lot of the things I’ve mentioned aren’t solution per se. They’re symbolic, but they amount to a declaration of willingness to work toward an elusive goal.

There remain so many unanswered questions, especially surrounding residential schools. And of the 94 calls for action in the T&R report, only 13 have been completed. Another 32 are underway, 30 are in progress with projects proposed, and 19 haven’t been started.

That’s obviously not fast enough but there’s renewed determination to work on them. As former Truth and Reconciliation Commission chair Murray Sinclair said yesterday, “This important work of reconciliation is not a one-day affair. As we say, it will take us several generations.” Canadians are getting the message.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.