Reconciliation continues to follow colonial paths

Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has just appointed their first “indigenous” person, as the Governor-General of Canada. Under Trudeau’s Liberal leadership, Canada continues to make a mockery of the true purpose of reconciliation while pandering to the international community and the unknowing non-Indigenous Canadian public.

Canadian history has been whitewashed or whitesplained with the genocide of the original peoples carefully crafted in a narrative that diminishes liability and accountability.

For more than 500 years, First Nation Indigenous people, the original people have tried to balance this one-sided narrative with history from a First Nation point of view. This viewpoint has been discouraged and discounted by historians, politicians and regular “Joe” Canadians who will not listen to Indigenous truths.

The recent finding of two hundred plus First Nation children found in a mass grave by Kamloops Residential School and the continued growing number of retrieved gravesites that span across this country, have put Canada in the hot seat over their historical treatment of the original peoples.

Canada and the Liberal party are angry. They had convinced the Canadian public that their intentions and carefully worded press releases, policies and statements were alleviating the “Indian problem.” Canadians believed that everything possible was being done to reconcile past legal agreements and outstanding First Nation Indigenous issues in a good way with the honour of the crown at stake.

This public relations farce blew up in social media circles when it was revealed that the Kamloops school run by the Roman Catholic church was the same group that ran the St. Anne’s residential school in Ontario. At St. Anne’s residential school, Canada had knowledge of residential school wrongs but refused to give credibility to the St. Anne’s residential students with information or settlement.

Instead, Trudeau’s Liberals, have been fighting the St. Anne’s residential school survivors in court to keep information hidden or to destroy information necessary to make the cases of the survivors. Why would a BC supreme court judge – Justice Brenda Brown issue a court order that allowed the federal government to start destroying person of interest reports that give information about abuse allegations?

Is this really justice, or is this some kind of distorted, bastardized approach to protecting an institution? Will Trudeau and his Indigenous affairs minister Carolyn Bennett answer this question with more than platitudes and simpering sympathy?

Canadians suddenly woke up to the injustices that surrounded the original people. Canadians suddenly began to see the crimes against humanity that is written in the blood of the First Peoples of this land. Canadians suddenly began to feel shame and hypocrisy about the treatment of the original people of this land.

What could Trudeau and his team of miscreants do to turn the tide back to Canada polishing their human rights mettle in the face of the international community? Trudeau began by releasing elevated budgets to help find the gravesites that were situated by every residential school using technological advances. Trudeau also stated his “abhorrence” with the terrible policies of the past, distancing himself and his government from the melee.

If Trudeau was so concerned about the inhumane treatment that would resulted in a mass gravesite of children; why is he still fighting the St. Anne’s survivors in court? If Trudeau understands the First Nation Indigenous at all, would he not step back instead of running to kneel by gravesites asking for photo ops with Indian children but settling for pictures with teddy bears?

Trudeau and his Liberal government keep demonstrating that their oppression, assimilation and termination goals continue but with smiles, special words, photo ops and a few well-placed Indigenous tokens speaking up for Trudeau and the gang.

For what is the appointment of Mary Simon into the Governor General’s position but a token and empty gesture?

The original people, the first people, the First Nation Indigenous people of this land began their relationship with Great Britain and Canada inherited this colony based on legal agreements between two nations. The First Nations numbering in at least 58 dialects and six hundred plus nations are the original owners or founders of this land. Canada was a foundling nation born out of necessity when Britain lost their foothold in America. As this country was formed, Canada had to keep peace with the covetous French who were also trying to claim this land as their own domain.

Therefore, is this appointment of Mary Simon a triumph for First Nation Indigenous people who began their five-hundred year battle with Great Britain, which was then followed by Canada which continues to this day? This appointment of May Simon may be a triumph for Indigenous women who identify with a woman in a leadership capacity, but do the original people themselves understand the underlying political concepts that shroud Mary Simon’s appointment to this post?

The governor general is the queen’s representative in Canada. Historic or original treaties that were made between two nations including the peace and friendship treaties from the eastern door to the numbered treaties in western Canada have stated that they have international standing.

Canada has continuously tried to domesticate this stand. Canada along with their band of token Indigenous voices have stated that Canada’s domestication of the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is for our benefit. Never mind that the original grassroots voices were never consulted and certainly never consented to the elite Indigenous voices speaking for them.

The children who were brutalized by the Indian Residential School process are not resting. They speak from beyond the gravesites and they speak through the voices of their relatives who will not be placated by Trudeau’s jobs, ego stroking, money or hasty MOU’s and photo-ops.

The original people are tied to the land. We are the caretakers and the stewards and we owe our existence to the strength of our people who continued to practice our spiritual teachings though they were punished. While we have children who do not rest, we have nations that will not stop until the colonial path of reconciliation is revealed, destroyed and replaced by a true red road forward.

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