It’s July 1st, otherwise known as Canada Day. This year, for the first time, Canadians are being asked not to celebrate it. Given the past few weeks, in which we’ve seen confirmation of hundreds and hundreds of dead Indigenous children buried in unmarked graves at residential school sites, the request not to celebrate is absolutely appropriate. As Read More
Tag: indigenous
215 is actually a small numerator.
Dear vigil speakers, Thank you for speaking your truths to those of us gathered last night to honour the 215 children, victims of the residential school system, whose remains were found in Kamloops last week. There was so much bravery in the speaking of these truths. Whether you were an experienced speaker or not, whether Read More
A letter to party leaders about climate change
This climate change letter was sent to: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh Green Party Leader Annamie Paul Liberal MP Lloyd Longfield Dear fellow Canadians, This has been a year like no other, for all of us. You, the political leaders – particularly the Prime Minister – have been Read More
Indigenous Knowledge and Generosity – Gratitude Day 2
Today I’m feeling very grateful for the generosity of Indigenous knowledge keepers. This is Treaties Recognition Week in Ontario – a province that is covered by 46 treaties and other agreements between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. The treaties, which guaranteed that land would be shared and that communities would live peacefully alongside one another, were Read More
Orange Shirt Day for Truth and Reconciliation – September 30th and every day
Tomorrow, September 30th, is Orange Shirt Day. In schools, we will commemorate this day on Monday by donning orange and discussing with our students what it means. “Orange Shirt Day” recalls the beautiful, brand-new, bright-orange shirt that was taken away from Phyllis Webstad at age six, on her first day at Mission Residential School in Read More
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline – Two-Minute Book Review
My sister gave me the award-winning The Marrow Thieves for Christmas, knowing how keenly I feel about Indigenous issues. I was about a quarter of the way through when I heard a snippet on CBC saying that Jully Black would be defending this book for Canada Reads! So I felt cool by association (with Canada’s Read More
Truth and Reconciliation, One Human at a Time
Today is National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, formerly known as National Aboriginal Day, established to celebrate First Nations, Métis, and Inuit culture in Canada. I know that for many Indigenous people, this day seems like lip-service, since we have not yet established a day to focus on Truth and Reconciliation. I decided to use this day Read More