Take the high road to reconciliation
Canadians can be proud of how hard and sincerely their country is working to right the wrongs that have been committed against its Indigenous Peoples.
Centuries of colonization and settlement resulted in grave injustices to the nation’s original inhabitants and bequeathed legacies of discrimination and poverty they’re still struggling with.
Forging a new relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians — one based on mutual respect, understanding and true equality — must become our society’s highest priority.
But two recent events show the road to reconciliation runs uphill and has lots of confusing twists and turns.
On Saturday, Victoria, B.C., removed the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald that stood in front of its city hall because some local Indigenous residents found the image of Canada’s first prime minister, and one of the movers behind the residential school system, to be upsetting.
Next, word came on Wednesday that the federal government would create a new statutory holiday to remember the pain and suffering generations of Indigenous children experienced at the residential schools Macdonald helped institute.
To be sure, the motives behind each of these recent actions are laudable. The people behind them aim to do good, and we commend them.
Yet, as ways to advance the cause of reconciliation in this country, each of these initiatives needs more thought and work.
The debate about Macdonald’s place in history has raged for years, usually generating more heat than light. Yes, Macdonald was instrumental in establishing the residential school system.
But more than anyone else, he was indispensable in creating Canada, which is today one of the world’s most humane and freedom-loving countries. It is the monument to him no one can displace.
Considered a progressive in his time, Macdonald worked to reconcile the young country’s two solitudes — its English- and French-speaking communities. Aware the United States had designs on acquiring all of North America’s vast, western territories, he secured the regions that became Western Canada.
And while he could succumb to racist views of Indigenous Peoples, he also voiced sympathy for their plight and extended the vote to many Aboriginal males — an enlightened act reversed by a later prime minister.
It should be possible to recognize and even celebrate the singular role Macdonald played in the birth and infancy of the country now admired around the world, while also admitting his serious errors.
Let’s stop the fruitless bickering. Let’s keep the statues of Macdonald in place and value the discussions they generate. At the same time, why not erect more monuments to great Indigenous Canadians — perhaps even beside those for Macdonald?
As for Ottawa’s plan for a statutory holiday to advance the cause of reconciliation, we see huge merit in the proposal. But let’s take more time to sharpen its focus. We believe many Canadians will balk at committing one day a year primarily to list and remember the egregious sins of the residential schools. It would be a day of condemnation and shame, not celebration and joy. Indeed, the current proposal seems the recipe for a grim, nationwide festival of self-flagellation by nonIndigenous Canadians.
Instead, we’d propose a statutory holiday that promotes reconciliation by highlighting the essential role played by First Nations and Inuit in Canada, past and present. Connect with the positive, not negative.
Together, we can come to appreciate what each generation and community has contributed to Canada while learning from their mistakes. Then, just perhaps, we can agree that building a better future need not require demolishing some of the best of our past.