Canada's Indigenous Peoples with Barry Maracle & Others

June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day and on this week’s program we are going to be featuring a series of clips highlighting the voices of our beloved First Peoples.

Front of mind for many right how is, of course, the horrific recent uncovering of over 215 graves found near the Kamloops Indian Residential School in BC — many of these graves are believed to be of First Nations children who were taken by force from their families by the government of the day and placed in the schools to be forcibly re-educated.

The last residential school in Canada, Grollier Hall in the Northwest Territories, was closed in 1997. The Kamloops discovery has brought the raw pain of this part of our national history to the surface again for Canadians nationwide. Many have responded through moving demonstrations such as the 215 sets of children’s shoes placed on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery. The findings have also brought renewed calls for the government to continue to take action on the 94 recommendations of the truth and reconciliation commission, one of which was a recommendation to uncover missing gravesites.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is a part of a history of efforts by various governments to bring healing and reconciliation to this part of our history. In 2008, with all party support, Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a public statement of apology in the House of Commons to the First Peoples of Canada for the atrocities of the residential schools and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed with the goal of walking out ongoing reconciliation in our nation through documenting the painful stories of the residential schools, sharing them with Canadians and giving recommendations to the government of Canada of what further efforts could be done.

Though some progress has been made on the recommendations, to this day, the majority still remain un-completed. Also notable in this ongoing journey was something that happened in 2010 called the Journey of Forgiveness.

The Journey of Forgiveness was a grassroots faith based initiative spearheaded by Chief Kenny Blacksmith in which First Nations, Metis and Inuit faith leaders traveled Canada releasing forgiveness to the government, the church and Canadians at large. The Journey of Forgiveness culminated in a powerful Summit in Ottawa where Minister of Indigenous Affairs at the time, The Honourable Church Strahl, attended and participated at the highest level.

Many efforts have been made to bring healing, and some ground has been taken in the realm of awareness and reconciliation, but over a decade later it is clear there is still much work to be done — it is also clear that there is much will in Canadians from seat to sea, to see the healing that our nation so desperately needs.

So, it is with all this in mind that we share with you both some eye-opening and also inspiring clips from indigenous leaders today.

Before we dive into this however, I also wanted to let you know that on National Indigenous Peoples Day this year, June 21st, there will be a day of prayer led by a group of First People’s Leaders called The RETURN. If you are a person of faith we would like to invite you to participate. Please visit www.thecrymovement.com and if you are watching this program after the 21st, you can also visit the site to participate by watching the archive there.

Thank you so much for joining me for this painful, but important, conversation. It is only by facing our past with courage, compassion, humility, contriteness, repentance and reconciliation that we will truly be able to move forward, by heaven’s grace, to see the healing our nation needs. Let our hearts be steady in continuing to work to this end.

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