For Immediate Release
21 June 2023
As Canadians, we stand on June 21 to recognize the cultures and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Metis Indigenous peoples of our great country.
While we will celebrate as a country, we must also reflect and mourn as a country. We must give pause and recognize both the harm and intergenerational trauma inflicted on our Indigenous peoples by governments through colonialization. Until true reconciliation is accomplished, June 21 will be a day for Indigenous peoples to grieve past harms. Past harms are being documented and are finally being included in Canada's history books.
Today, we will live in a Canadian society filled with phrases and acronyms summarizing this dark history:
Intergenerational trauma: Trauma that is passed down through generations in families.
MMIWG inquiry: The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
TRC: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission which created a historical record of the residential school system and facilitated reconciliation among former Indigenous students, their families, their communities and all Canadians, concluding with 94 calls to action.
Residential schools: The school system created to remove Indigenous children from the influence of their own culture and assimilate them into the dominant Canadian culture. I quote, “To kill the Indian in the child”.
Cultural genocide: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission labelled the residential school system as a case of cultural genocide.
Now, as dark as this history is to Canada, it is encouraging to see efforts made towards true reconciliation.
As Indigenous peoples and their communities heal, we will begin to truly celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day.
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For further information, contact Eddy St. Coeur, Director of Communications, NDP Caucus at 729-2137 (o), or eddystcoeur@gov.nl.ca