Below are a few of the steps the Government of Canada has taken towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Resistance and resilience of Indigenous peoples in Canada is a long standing tradition that continues to this day and has allowed for the survival of their culture and practices. Take a moment to learn about the Indigenous communities around you today, and think about what your history means to the history of this country.
Compensation awarded to Indigenous veterans
On June 21st, 2002 the National Council of Veterans Association of Canada approved a compensation to Indigenous veterans who could demonstrate that they were deprived of veterans benefits that their non-Indigenous counterparts received. The Minister of Veteran Affairs announced a thirty nine million dollar package. Although it places the onous on Indigenous communities to prove their inadequate compensation, it meant that veterans or their spouses could receive up to twenty thousand dollars compensation. A step in the right direction? Sure. Enough? Not likely.
To find out more about this, please read this website.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a component of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, aims to educate all Canadians about what happened in Residential Schools. The commission is in its early stages still, but has been collecting survivor stories from all across Canada. The depth of the devastating effects of the systemic forced removal of children from their families, their language, and their cultures are still being discovered. For a detailed overview of the commission goals, findings, and plan please visit the Truth and Reconciliation website.
‘The Day of the Apology’
“The burden of this experience has been on your shoulders for far too long. The burden of this experience is properly ours as a government, and as a country” – Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper