Canadians Should Put Aside Pride In Recognizing 'Horrific' Past For Reconciliation - Chief

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2021) Canadians should set aside their pride in discussing the country's appalling treatment of indigenous peoples, including the issue of genocide, in order to make progress on reconciliation, Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme told Sputnik.

Last month, Cowessess First Nation became the second indigenous community to uncover an unmarked gravesite on a former residential school territory, where indigenous children were forcibly sent to be stripped of their heritage and assimilated into European Canadian society. A ground-penetrating radar scan of the former Marieval Indian Residential School revealed the presence of 751 unmarked graves, presumably most of them with remains of children.

The question of whether the schools activities constitute genocide has been the source of a fervent debate. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded in its report that the residential schools represented cultural genocide, a form of genocide under the United Nations Convention on Genocide.

Delorme, whose parents attended the controversial schools, said he believes the schools are genocidal and Canadians should set aside their pride in discussing this aspect of the nation's history.

"The residential schools had one goal: to brainwash myself and my lineage... that is genocide. So, I would state that that is a part of truth. It doesn't mean the genocide will continue in the future, but we all must put down a little bit of our pride and realize that there were some very horrific wrongs that were done," Delorme told Sputnik.

Delorme said that all of Canada's inhabitants must "reset [their] compass" in order to coexist for the next hundred years and beyond.

Most Canadians say they agree that the government needs to act and do so quickly, decisively, but in accordance with the wishes of the country's first peoples.

Poll after poll shows that the vast majority of Canadians believe the state must take immediate steps to improve the life of indigenous peoples and provide assistance in the detection and identification efforts embarked on by First Nations communities.

Delorme underscores this belief, saying that, while he is grateful for the attention indigenous issues have received and the reflection that is occurring, eventually, the public's attention may turn towards other issues, and decisionmakers - politicians - will move on as well.

"We don't want them to shelve our great plans. So, that's why it's so important that we get this right now and that we invest in it right away so we can focus on the bigger things, our great economy, great social impact that this country can have both with First Nations and non-[indigenous people]," Delorme said.

To this end, Delorme reiterated his hope that all Canadian citizens continue to help indigenous people by holding elected officials to account.

The Chief also emphasized that, contrary to Canada's historically paternalistic treatment of the country's first peoples, the process must be indigenous-led, saying the state's role is to "invest in this [endeavor] and to stand beside us."

RECONCILLIATION - AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CANADA

Despite a general consensus regarding the next steps, Canadians are split on the country's progress on reconciliation.

While according to a recent Ipsos poll, 54 percent of Canadians said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has lived up to his promise of improving the relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous people, a greater number of respondents - 68 percent - said reconciliation, which is defined as the establishment and maintenance of a "mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in this country," will not be achieved in their lifetime.

Chief Delorme said he believes that Canada is doing an "alright" job and can potentially set an example for the rest of the world.

"I do believe and I'm optimistic that Canada can tell the story to the world that it did wrong to its first people of this pre-country and that with truth and reconciliation we have now persevered to coexist as how it should have been at the beginning," Delorme said. "Maybe Canada can show other countries how to get it right."

However, Delorme said he, among others, is skeptical about the timeframe for reconciliation.

Delorme said if reconciliation occurs in the next decade, he would be "excited," but ultimately recognizes the process will likely take a generation and frets he may end up another "upset elder" if the path to reconciliation extends beyond that.

Ultimately, Delorme said reconciliation is about the future that the children, including his own, will inherit.

"Reconciliation is where my daughter, if she wants to be a nurse, if she wants to be a bus driver, if she wants to be a chief [she can do that]. But she also wants to make sure that she is treated equal in this country and proud to be a first people - that is reconciliation. That you can coexist and not have to give up one to try gain the other, and that is a psychological adjustment that this country needs to do," Delorme said.