The truth is that the people who came here first were free, without government, and they ruled the place, but they did not mistreat the land. They lived on the bounty of nature in a harsh climate and survived.
Humans have migrated and populated the planet for at least 200,000 years.
Between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago, the ‘first peoples’ from North America populated this continent, probably migrating from Siberia across a land bridge that no longer exists. It is not certain if South America was inhabited by those people who moved south or if they came there from what we now call Polynesia.
My point is not that they emigrated but that they were here first. ‘First Nations’ is the perfect term because they were here first.
And they survived, they lived off the land and did not go to conquer territory, they lived quite peacefully in stationary and migratory communities in a generous land.
In today’s terms, we could call their appreciation and use of the land ‘management.’
They did not have a concept of property, borders/territory or government as we know it, or as the Europeans knew it in their countries. They appreciated and used it, moving with the seasons and as food. Perhaps also to populate, to explore, but, as far as we know, they did not try to dominate or control the land or others. Societies developed on the coasts, in the north, and on the plains.
We have no way of imagining how those cultures might have evolved if left to their own devices.
The Europeans came.
When the Europeans arrived, they came here to explore, trade, exploit, fight for territory, and rule. Most of them came ‘drink’ and conquer for Great Britain or for France. Both cultures are prevalent in many ways today in Canada, a legacy of history, legal systems, a battle on the Plains of Abraham, and giving nation status to a country known as Canada, but still a ‘Suburb’ From great britain
We have severed those ties commercially and legally, but our ‘conquering peoples’ Y ‘first peoples’ they remain united by so much horrible history, and too little reconciliation and insufficient peace. Compensation, reparations, apologies and rights have come, too slowly, too little and with our governments fighting those claims and dragging our collective feet despite clear messages from the courts, the United Nations and countless advocacy organizations. rights to denounce the crimes and horrors of the past for what we were, a genocide.
The Europeans took over Canada, seized it to own it, through power and deception. They took control of peoples who never sought or had a concept of ownership or control, peoples who were unaware of the motives or culture of the Europeans.
They couldn’t read those tiny documents posing as fair treaties.
Those first peoples who lived and died here for centuries were fenced off from their traditional territory in reserves, without any property. They have had little time in their history other than some kind of horror story of annihilation and culture/identity abuses to describe their last 400-500 years.
That clock cannot be undone, it cannot be buried, it cannot and should not be forgotten or obscured. The truth deserves to be widely known and we must all be part of a reconciliation.
I am writing this column today, not to correct mistakes, but to comment on the futility of a truth and reconciliation process that Canadians do not own, do not appreciate, and sadly do not accept.
The government, to its credit, says it is trying, albeit with an unbelievable record of delay and reluctance, but fails to admit that the biggest part of these problems was the British and Canadian governments. (both liberal and conservative governments). They caused these problems and have done an abysmal job of fixing things or taking responsibility.
They deserve all the criticism that is thrown at them: they have earned it, they deserve it, and we Canadians, all of us, must bear that responsibility and pay the costs.
In saying that, I’m not just referring to the money or the tax allocation.
I mean, we all need to own the solution, as Canadians, as individuals. Not as taxpayers or militants but as citizens and neighbors. If we want to own something worthwhile, we need to invest something. Most of the time, Canadians leave the payment/calculation in the hands of government officials, politicians and the courts, and then criticize that they blew the budget or that our taxes were higher than expected.
Too often, we fail to see and confront this longstanding ineptitude on a scale that would never be tolerated in any business organization. There are many areas to point out, but what about the most fundamental, water?
How many Canadians in towns and cities would tolerate unsafe drinking water?
None.
Yet government after government promises to fix this. They throw money at it, but the legacy of delays and failures cannot be excused. Changes in party leadership and which party rules the PMO and cabinet don’t seem to matter. They have all perpetuated an inadequacy because they have never made First Nations issues THE top priority of our government.
Why?
It’s hard for me to understand that. I can see that budgets, the economy, and so many critical issues of the moment need attention, but this cannot be an excuse that our government continues to uphold.
So what can we invest, how do we do it, how do we measure it, how do we know if our efforts are practical, and how do we know when we’re done?
The correct answer: we must never finish.
A country is not made; a country continues, but if we want this country to continue as the Canada we are proud to call our own, we must live up to our words.
We cannot be true Northerners strong and free until we are all equal citizens working together.
My cause, my mission, is to play a role in improving education. I have done a good job, but I need to do a lot more and I have recommitted to do it. We all have different skills and ideas to offer, to build the best bridges, genuine connections, and make Canada better by making Canada better.
That’s what it’s all about today for Canadians.