Has Canada achieved reconciliation? | NDN POV | TVO Today
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Indigenous Reconciliation in Canada: Progress and Challenges
- Reconciliation is about restoring relationships and undoing settler colonial worlds.
- Canada's progress in achieving reconciliation depends on who you ask, but many feel frustrated with the lack of action and the gap between rhetoric and reality.
- The Supreme Court of Canada views reconciliation as reconciling crown sovereignty with indigenous land rights, but it often falls short and prioritizes colonization.
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) started sharing the story of residential schools in 2015, and while some positive changes have occurred, progress has been slow.
- Only 13 out of the 94 calls to action from the TRC have been implemented, and some were implemented by Church groups instead of the Canadian government.
- Completed calls to action often focus on managing Canada's public image rather than addressing the violence and structural harms indigenous peoples still face.
- Reconciliation should involve returning resources, land, and governance authorities to indigenous peoples, not just a surface level of getting along.
Importance of Political Will and Systemic Change for Reconciliation
- Lack of political will is a barrier to real reconciliation.
- Reconciliation is not just an individual endeavor, but a systemic change.
- It involves respecting indigenous nationhood, laws, languages, and pre-existing nations.
Challenges and Progress in Achieving Reconciliation in Canada
- Reconciliation is about restoring relationships and undoing settler colonial worlds.
- Many feel frustrated with the lack of action and the gap between rhetoric and reality.
- The Supreme Court of Canada's view of reconciliation often falls short and prioritizes colonization.
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has made some progress since 2015.
- Only 13 out of the 94 calls to action from the TRC have been implemented, with some implemented by Church groups instead of the government.