June 18,2021
Tânisi nitotem,
As I put words to paper my heart is heavy and my stomach cannot settle. The past few weeks the news about the bodies of indigenous children found buried on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School have troubled me as well as many in this country. This school is located on the unseeded traditional territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc peoples. Society has been heart broken and horrified to hear of this discovery. Sadly, this discovery does not come as a surprise. Survivors of residential schools have shared their stories for decades and to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) about their siblings and cousins who went missing at the residential school and were never seen again. These schools were designed by the State to eliminate the indigeneity from the Indigenous peoples of this country. The church acting as the agents of the State would be given the contracts to operate, and to force the assimilation of Indigenous children to a white European culture: the TRC called this cultural genocide.
In 2015 the TRC put forth 94 calls to action that would help mark the path forward to reconciliation. According to the Assembly of Frist Nations 2020 report card these calls to action are being slow to implement and not enough progress is being made regarding reconciliation, Church apologies, and progress on missing children. As workers in the Labour movement and allies for justice we must use our combined strength to support the implementation of the 94 calls to action as well as United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Helpful donations to survivors can be made to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society at:
Indian Residential School Survivors Society
413 West Esplanade Street
North Vancouver, BC
V7M 1A6
On June 21 we will celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day. This is a day to observe the culture and traditions that were almost lost. Today these cultures and traditions are being reclaimed by the younger generations of Indigenous peoples. We give thanks to the Elders and language keepers for protecting these traditional cultures and traditions from being stolen by the State and its agents.
For National Indigenous Peoples Day events check the following:
https://www.musqueam.bc.ca/indigenous-day-drive-thru-celebration-at-musqueam/
http://www.vafcs.org/events/national-indigenous-day/
Hay hay,
In Solidarity,
Nicholas Aubichon ,
2nd VP, CUPW Vancouver sr/CUPE-3338