Move forward by leaving the past

Dear Editor:

Regarding letters from both Helen Robertson from Prince George and Patrick Longworth from Penticton on reconciliation.

When discussing what the right dollar amount for any reconciliation is, I think it is important for everyone to remember the trillions of dollars being thrown by western governments at this pandemic to save the entire global economy. This should drive home the point that we’re all in this thing together and we’ll get out of it by pulling together.

Indigenous peoples were indeed here first, scattered groups warring among themselves.

Early Europeans found Canada undeveloped and the developed wealth of Canada today, which the Indigenous now claim a part of, was in fact built by European ingenuity. But Canada’s accommodation has not always been forthcoming.

In fairness the Wet’suwet’en blockade initially started because of internal arguments among the Wet’suwet’en about who speaks for them.

Part of the Canada’s difficulty in settling any reconciliation is that Indigenous fight among themselves, as much as they fight with non-Indigenous Canadians.

The 1997 Supreme Court recognized aboriginal title, but every title comes with rights and limitations.

Little has been done since in regard to establishing Aboriginal title agreements, complicated by different federal government approaches, but also because of internal Indigenous indecision and particularly the many unresolved overlapping territorial claims among the bands themselves.

I agree with Helen Robertson. To move forward, we must accept that the past is the past and its ugliness is our collective responsibility that can not be undone; therefore we must build on tomorrow.

We are one country in the grip of turbulent modern times and this forces all of us to step forward and be better Canadians.

Jon Peter Christoff, West Kelowna