This week has been strange in some ways and worrisome. On one hand we have the media in Canada going into overdrive with negativity and what is presented as fact then becomes muddled and is no longer clear.
A story that made headlines around the world that of the discovery of the remains (bones) of what is believed to be 215 indigenous children who died at a Residential School run by the Catholic Church. At first it was reported as small bones, then as bodies, then as remains and no one appears to know if it is 215 or 250. However this was enough for activists to turn this matter into a highly emotional question.
Politicians in the House of Commons made some very controversial statements all trying to look more concerned than the next guy or girl. The gist of it, Canada as we know it today and all non-native people are squatters and they stole everything from the Indigenous people. Some Cities in Canada have cancelled National Day 1 July celebrations because nothing good has come from this project called Canada and 38 million people living here today should just pack up and go back where they came from. Victoria the Capital of British Columbia has announced such plans.
If you go to any show which receives funding from the Canadian Government you will hear the message that whatever building you are in and the land on which it stands belongs to Native groups and you must atone for your past wrongs. A silly message given that no one has any intentions of giving anything back to indigenous groups.
So this message you hear each day has a corrosive effect, and it is not about to stop. The idea of the Prime Minister is to force change upon society through a social engineering. The belief is that we will achieve reconciliation. The problem is after 500 years of European building a country and 45 Canadian Parliaments and 8 Sovereigns, it is not going to happen.
So statues of people long dead have been attacked and defaced as if they and they alone are responsible for what happened while society at large appears to suffer from amnesia.
Now we are finally getting to the short list of who will be the next Governor General and the Government and the Prime Minister are making noises that it will be an Indigenous person. I wonder how that will work out if that rumour proves true.
What is interesting is the push back by people who immigrated to Canada and who are non-white. The attack on Canada, a country they chose for their future life is not acceptable to them. They found acceptance here and prosperity something they did not have in the country of their birth.
Not all indigenous groups accept the current approach, many prefer a pragmatic approach of teaching history correctly and fully and let’s all move along. Unfortunately our Prime Minister is Mr WOKE but it remains to be seen if he can be re-elected serving that line to Canadians daily.
I am a tad tired of Justin T. and his attitude, he lacks judgement and he is dividing the country dangerously. He truly opened the Box of Pandora and this is not going to end well.
I am saddened by this approach by the President. In my opinion, Canada should reconcile and celebrate. In Australia, the opposite is true. Puffed up ‘polies’ paying lip service to the original owners of this land. We too need to reconcile and move on.
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Hi Larry. I don’t think Canadians regardless of heritage; indigenous, settlers or immigrants know what reconciliation looks like. When I was a growing up the Aboriginal population here was in terrible crisis. Nothing happened to make it better. Fifty years later things are a lot better, but there is still along way to go. It has taken many years/generations to get to where we are, it may take as long to come to a consensus on reconciliation.
Any Canadian historian knows the findings in Kamloops is not a surprise. All residential schools grounds have unmarked cemeteries. Canadians have felt pain over this recent ‘news’. I am willing to listen to indigenous and our political leaders, including JT, on how we should go forward. If it means DNA on every bone to establish lineage, then so be it.
Nobody is asking anybody to go back to where they came from. Canada is a wonderful country and should be celebrated. One of the good things about Canadians is we know when to celebrate. It is when the fight is won.
On another subject I was happy to get my second Pfizer shot today. We were bumped up in this area due to an outbreak – Thanks Alberta!
Take care.
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Thank you for your comment, much appreciated, I was in real despair this week and quite depressed about it all. You have wisdom on your side.
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I thought to apply for the post but I don’t think I will now.
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