Before we address Indigenous injustice, we need to address apathy, i.e. Trudeau

Sadly, take away Sept. 30, it has been a while since the whole residential institution situation has been discussed with any sort of depth on a national scale.

The country recognized Orange Shirt Day which combined with the federal government’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Sept. 30. It was a day where Canadians could take time to do something to educate themselves about Canada’s history with Indigenous peoples, do something in their own way to honour all of those who lost their lives in the residential institutions, remember and hopefully do something to change the status quo such as lobby for change in history books.

Arguably on Oct. 4, National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQ+ people (MMIWG), there was even less heard.

While little has been heard on either, this may not be surprising. After all, the news feeds have been dominated with anger and terror-filled pandemic storylines not to mention the federal election. Little was discussed regarding the various Indigenous injustice situations such as a lack of clean water (still); help for those residential instituion survivors etc.

Since the summer there has been limited if not muted attention on the residential schools, updates on searches for unmarked graves and what all of this means for the Indigenous communities, until Sept. 30.

Unfortunately, an opportunity was missed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to show the indigenous community that this isn’t being swept under the rug like so many times throughout Canadian history and to set an example for Canadians right after the election.

On June 21, 2017, Trudeau quipped that “No relationship is more important to Canada than the relationship with Indigenous Peoples.”

Well, Trudeau had a funny way of showing it. On Sept. 30, organizers of an event in Kamloops B.C. reached out to Trudeau twice to attend their Reconciliation Day ceremonies. Of course in late May, the initial announcement of the locating of over 200 unmarked graves was made at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

Trudeau declined to attend as he was unavailable. However, it turns out vacation hotspot Tofino was calling and Trudeau and his family ended up there as they rented some high end (read: expensive) accommodations from a friend, on the taxpayers’ dime of course. In case you were wondering Tofino is on Vancouver Island which is in the same province as Kamloops.

Not a good look at best. Deeply insulting and not exactly honourable for someone who was pictured looking forlorn and saddened by an unmarked gravesite at the Marieval Indian Residential School in Sask. where 740 sites were discovered back in June .

Marc Miller, Canada’s Minister of Indigenous Services visited Akwesasne in Ontario and was heavily involved in ceremonies there. Trudeau was filmed by Global TV to be walking along the beach Sept. 30. No ceremonies.

To be fair, it is 635 km between Tofino and Kamloops so other than a publicly-funded helicopter, it would have been difficult to get him between doing his duty as a leader and party time (sarcasm off). Perhaps Trudeau hopes voters will forget this between now and the next presumptuously-called election.

To review, the latest media reports have the estimated number of graves being at over 1,300, however less than ten institutions have been searched. There are currently seven searches taking place in Saskatchewan, three in B.C. and none, (publicized as of yet), in Alberta where there are many such institutions including those in Southern Alberta southwest of Lethbridge: St. Peter’s (Piikani); Queen Victoria Jubilee Home (Brocket/ Piikani); St. Cyprian’s (Piikani); Sacred Heart (Piikani); St. Paul’s-Kainai (first location and second location; Stand Off, Cardston); St. Mary’s-Kainai, (first location; second location Cardston).

You may have seen a painting on social media depicting children being forcibly taken from their family homes and dragged to the horrible residential schools.

The Scream, done by Winnipeg Indigenous artist Kent Monkman effectively represents the moment of when children were literally torn from the arms of their parents. There are members of the RCMP either holding back mothers as members of the clergy are hauling away small children or RCMP officers taking children away themselves. In the picture, three pre-teens are seen running away into a wooded area. It has been used to illustrate many Twitter, Instagram and Facebook posts. On Oct. 4 it reappeared, but this time the clergy and the RCMP had their clothes re-coloured to orange (the symbol of remembrance to those who were in residential schools). The orange shirt stemmed from a Commemoration Project and Reunion project from former St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School student Phyllis (Jack) Webstad who told her story of having her new orange shirt taken away from her when she was only six years old.

The comments on the re-coloured painting read themes such as, “nothing has changed, only instead of the church or RCMP, it’s social workers”, Truth and Reconciliation Day was just “lip service” etc.

Traditional "colonial" attitudes of ambivalance, ignorance and arrogance towards Indigenous issues need to change. It is sad and unfathomable we are still fighting this and racism in general. No deserves this treatment especially those in the Inidgenous community.

Assembly of First Nnations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald wrote in an Oct. 3 letter: “As I stated to the Catholic Church, hallow apologies will no longer be accepted. As National Chief, on behalf of all First Nations, I expect concrete action and changed behaviours. The Prime Minister must demonstrate through actions that he is committed the healing path forward.”

Reconciliation is not off to a good start, starting at the top.