[Kintsukuroi.]

Canada’s treatment towards Indigenous Peoples both historically and present day is atrocious. That being said, other countries like the US, Australia, and New Zealand also have treated Indigenous Peoples horrifically. I believe that it is important that we continue to educate ourselves and put in the work to gain a better understanding. Personally, I am nowhere near being an expert in Indigenous culture or history because as a colonizer, I am not the expert in their lives and culture nor will I ever know everything. I have been continually working on gaining a better understanding of my role and relationship within society and how I can challenge and confront racism and colonization by gaining an understanding of how colonization continues to impact Indigenous communities. It’s important that I maintain a constant position of curiosity and always be open to learning and gaining a better understanding of the lived experiences and current realities. I actively seek out information via podcasts, documentaries, conversations, reading material, supporting Indigenous businesses/programs, and being aware of the current events. The atrocities within the residential school system is something that was not taught to me during my time at the private religious school I went to and this minimized the suffering and pain that has occurred as a result. We had guest speakers that talked about how residential schools were like summer camp/boarding schools and how the kids who had attended loved it. They talked about how these schools “helped” Indigenous children become civilized and all the “good” they did. This curriculum at the school I went to was only changed in the last 5 years. In the public school system, the curriculum does a better job of teaching this material starting in elementary school which is so important.

That being said, I did not celebrate Canada Day this year or last year because there should be no pride in genocide. I attended a March this year instead and it was an emotional and powerful day. People who woke up on July 1st being proud of this country and wanting to celebrate should also have an understanding of how privileged they are to feel this way and engage in some self-reflection.

I work as a social worker at an Indigenous agency and while there are several areas of change that have occurred, there are many policies that I disagree with. We are guided by legislation and bound by certain acts and tools but there is also space for advocating to my supervisors. The decisions that I make in consultation with my supervisors can and do have devastating effects on the children and families that I work with and it’s important to be aware of the power dynamic. We try to take into consideration the best interests of the child and always start with the least instructive course of action. It’s important to be aware how personal biases or experiences of family values/parenting can influence perspectives on what is “normal” and challenge the belief and desire to compare and measure. The agency I work for takes into account the trauma that has been experienced and works towards healing by fostering cultural connections and resilience to strengthen the family relationship and support reunification.

Systemic racism is so interwoven in every system of this country. The systems that are in place are set up in a way to disadvantage Indigenous Peoples while benefiting the white colonizers. This power dynamic is still in place today and is continually reinforced within society as a whole. Whiteness is dominant and the norm within society and the marginalization of the other occurs as a result of that when members of other groups are defined in how they differ from the norm. Privilege in regards to being part of the dominant group can provide unearned power and opportunities even without the individual being aware of it. This land that we live on is stolen and founded on the genocide of the Indigenous Peoples and generations of harm that has been caused. It’s important that we hold space and acknowledge the truth and take accountability for what happened. There are 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and many of those have not been addressed. I recommend reading the Calls to Action. 1505 children have been found with only 7 schools being searched and there are still 132 schools that need to be searched (this does not take into account the schools that operated without federal support).

The intergenerational trauma as a result of the harm that the policies and actions of the Canadian government has caused and continues to impact the lives of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Peoples are still experiencing the effects of colonization and systemic racism to this day. Several examples of this include the forced sterilization of Indigenous women and girls, birth alerts, over representation in child welfare and criminal justice system, boil-water advisories, MMIWG2S, and living conditions. There are also disparities in health care including mental health. This includes lack of access to quality health care and lack of access in remote communities, and socioeconomic status (social determinants of health). It’s also important to note that structural racism within the policies and practices impacts access to health care and the resulting inequalities. This is only furthered by stigma and stereotypes. The sixties scoop was a series of policies that contributed to Indigenous children being stolen by social workers and adopted to white families in Canada and the States. The sixties scoop was a form of cultural genocide and forced assimilation in addition to the residential school system. They believed that if Indigenous children were removed from their families, it would force them to assimilate into Canadian society and resulted in losing connections to their culture and heritage, families, communities and names. There were also several cases of children being discriminated against, abused or exploited. These are just a few examples of the horrific treatment of Indigenous Peoples by the Canadian government in addition to the residential school system and there are so many more examples. We all have a responsibility to be part of the reconciliation process.