September 30 marked the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a national holiday in Canada commemorating the memory of the residential school era that affected thousands of Indigenous children and their families across the country.
It’s finally a relaxing day after nearly 2,000 kilometres guided by a global positioning device that made me go in circles a few times. The snake merging and the rapid pace of the local traffic made it a hard for the new guy in town, namely me.
The Day of Truth and Reconciliation is a day to… well, saying celebrated and honoured brings into question just what we are honouring. So, maybe remembered? It’s hard to use a single word that encompasses all that the day is supposed to represent. In the end, it is a day to reflect on Canada’s legacy with its Indigenous population and what it did to them.
New awards and initiatives unveiled at Cree Annual General Assembly
What is it with all the hate circulating these days? If anyone knows anything about being oppressed or hated it has to be Indigenous people like me. I grew up feeling discriminated against, and I had to push myself to leave my remote First Nation and venture out into the greater world for school at first and then later to work at writing.
A long time ago, we had to stand up in class every morning for the “Oh Canada” national anthem, followed by a round of “God Save the Queen”. Over a half century later, the new chant of “Long live the King” resounded quickly and somewhat quietly, as the United Kingdom announced that Queen Elizabeth II had passed on to the afterlife. Now, the Queen was someone who seemed to be around everywhere and was quite noticeable in my pre-teen years.
The second annual Truth and Reconciliation Day arrives September 30. While the new event is a statutory holiday for all federal workers and most First Nations, not all provinces are willing to deal with having to reflect on the atrocities Canada committed against its Indigenous population.
Our home is oddly empty… the school bus came by and took those happy children to their first day of school. It’s sunny today and the clouds whisk by on a warm south wind, as if a tropical storm had passed and kept everything green. Though September is upon us, the hint of fall seems distant.
Covid-19 is still a prominent part of our lives. As much as we would like to think that this pandemic is coming to an end, it is still a very dangerous period for many people.
Every four years politicians must bend the knee and pretend they are servants to the communities they represent. Of course, when the voting is over a newly elected party usually enjoys a honeymoon period when they are not judged too harshly… in most cases.
