The process of reconciliation cannot be imposed
The removal, or not, of the sculpture I made 36 years ago is of little importance. It is merely some 150 kilograms of bronze formed into a storm of drapery, a gothic arc and the craggy, deep features of a human.
The event of its removal and the manner in which it was done are another matter. It symbolizes and highlights a malaise in our democracy, the functioning of government, the participation of the people. That it was done by virtual fiat, almost in secret, as an act of reconciliation with First Nations Peoples has been irksome to many and has made it a national, indeed an international, event.
Such is the importance of reconciliation and a desired unification of all peoples of this precious land that it must be done openly, democratically and with consensus. Otherwise, it could be seen as mere vacuous gesture, appeasement, even political expediency.
Not only has the mindset of colonialism and rapacious capitalism inflicted unnumbered horrors on the First Nations and brought Canada and indeed the world to the brink of environmental disaster, but it continues to impede us in our ability to undergo the change we desperately need to make to insure the health of ourselves and the planet we all inhabit.
Our air is barely fit to breathe, yet we drive three blocks to get a coffee. Our water is limited, yet our lawns are green. Our land and oceans are polluted, yet our addiction to plastic and waste is unchecked.
It is time not only to be reconciled with First Nations Peoples, but past time to learn from them, to learn that only if we respect the land will it respect us, to learn that our actions today are the legacy we leave our grandchildren and their grandchildren, to learn that wealth cannot buy a future. The world needs now that wisdom and guidance to survive.
Our democracy also has a colonialist mindset. Two recent events in Canadian politics highlight this: The split in the Conservative Party and the heckler in Quebec confronting the prime minister.
The split demonstrates the weakness of the party system, its all-or-nothing framework. Whatever one thinks of the views of the Quebec heckler, what strikes me is her extreme frustration. I think it is a frustration most feel, a frustration that our voices are not heard.
In our “democracy” a party can get a majority with barely 30 per cent of the vote. The voter does not vote for a representative, but for a person to represent a party.
Our politics are divisive, leaders are presumptuous and actions often alienate people, rather than unifying us. This kind of “democracy” is the grandchild of a colonial mindset. It is confrontational, impositional and, in my view, needs to change or we will become more divided and people will feel more alienated from government.
In my opinion, it would have been far better to have come together publicly, openly to discuss the possible removal of my sculpture, and if that was the consensus, to have had a unified removal ceremony, with First Nations, mayor, donors and sculptor, in the light of day for the world to see.
The process of reconciliation cannot be imposed. It must be a collective discussion, a collective understanding and a collective remedy. Anything less smacks of colonialism.